Telecommuting Managers

Telecommuting Managers

Introduction

Teleworking is one form of remote work. Remote work is work that is performed away from the principal office or work site, one or more days per week. Information and communications technologies, such as telephones, personal computers, and fax machines, are used to stay connected to the workplace and to communicate with co-workers.

Telecommuting is a related term that is sometimes used. Jack Nilles, a researcher at the University of Southern California, coined the word telecommuting during the oil crisis of the early 1970s. He believed that information technology (IT) could substitute for physical travel to and from work by car, thus conserving fuel.

Discussion

The term telework is used more frequently in Europe, and telecommuting is used more frequently in the United States. Because 'tele' means distance, telework refers to work done at a distance. Telework is a preferable term because it more aptly describes the fact that workers work at a distance from the location of their employer. That is, the work is moved to the worker, rather than asking the worker to move to the work. In this manner, work need not be restricted to the office or to a conventional office schedule. Rather, work can be performed anytime, anywhere (Langhoff, 1996).

Today's teleworking and telecommuting options go beyond energy conservation; they represent strategic management initiatives that can have a substantial impact on productivity, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and work/family balance, and can enhance competitive advantage for firms that use them properly.

Forms of Telework

Telework can assume one of the following four forms: home-based, satellite offices, neighborhood telework centers, and mobile telework. Home-based telework refers to employees that work at home on a regular basis. This is the most common telework location.

Satellite offices consist of regional branches of a single organization located near residential locations of its employees. This closer location reduces commuting time. Any employee that lives near the IT-equipped satellite office may work there, regardless of his or her job duties. Neighborhood telework centers are shared office facilities where employees from different organizations conduct their work close to their respective residences. Several companies may jointly lease and share office space. Workspace may be divided into separate areas for employees of each company.

Finally, mobile telework comprises work conducted away from any single location while using tools such as laptop computers and cellular phones to communicate with clients, coworkers, and other members of the organization. Mobile telework includes work conducted while in transit, such as in cars or on planes, as well as in temporary settings such as hotel rooms (Nilles, 1998).

Teleworking Population

Telework has become an increasingly popular work option. The Telework America 2001 study sponsored by the International Telework Association and Council and funded by AT&T estimates the current number of teleworkers in the United States to be about 28.8 million, approximately one in every five workers. The population of teleworkers worldwide is estimated to reach 100 million by 2007.

Work has been revolutionized, and in its wake, so have social and cultural norms regarding the work ...