Teleworking

Summary:
What is teleworking? Teleworking or telecommuting allows employees work at home or at a local telework center one or more days per week using communication tools, such as phone, fax, modem, Internet teleconferencing, e-mail or IM, to perform work duties from a remote location. The term telework is the term favored in Europe and in other countries while telecommute is used more often in the U.S and Canada. Home working is a form of teleworking but there are several different categories:
Traditional mobile workers, like sales representatives and delivery drivers. They receive instructions and information via telephones, computers or fax machines at home or in their vehicles;
Managerial and professional staff who spend working days away from their office base and also communicate via telephones, computers or fax machines from their home car or other remote location;
Specialists or office support staff who carry out a range of duties from home or other remote locations and communicate via telephone fax machines and computers;
Other workers who operate from local centres with computer and telecommunications facilities sometimes known as ‘telecottages’.

Advantages:
- Teleworking can reduce costs by providing savings on office space and other facilities
- It can improve productivity as people are not interrupted by the day to day distractions of office life and politics
- Employees have more freedom over where they live, how they organise their work and when they carry it out
- Employers who help people with disabilities or caring responsibilities to work at home can benefit from the additional skills and expertise of workers who may not be available to attend the workplace.
- Teleworking also reduces or eliminates time spent on traveling and lowers absence and turnover rates
Disadvantages:
- Remote working is not suitable for all types of job
- Providing suitable technology can be expensive
- Some employees may feel