Telecommuting, e-commuting, e-work, telework, working at home (WAH), or working from home (WFH) is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. In other words, the daily commute to a central place of work is replaced by telecommunication links. Many work from home, while others, occasionally also referred to as nomad workers or web commuters utilize mobile telecommunications technology to work from coffee shops or myriad other locations. Telework is a broader term, referring to substituting telecommunications for any form of work-related travel, thereby eliminating the distance restrictions of telecommuting. All telecommuters are teleworkers but not all teleworkers are telecommuters. A successful telecommuting program requires a management style which is based on results and not on close scrutiny of individual employees. This is referred to as management by objectives as opposed to management by observation. Long distance telework is facilitated by such tools as virtual private networks, videoconferencing, and Voice over IP. It can be efficient and useful for companies as it allows staff and workers to communicate over a large distance, saving significant amounts of travel time and cost. As broadband Internet connections become more commonplace, more and more workers have enough bandwidth at home to use these tools to link their home office to their corporate intranet and internal phone networks
Today, telecommuters can carry laptop PCs around which they can use both at the office and at home and almost anywhere else. Telecommuters are linked to their home office by using groupware, virtual private networks, and similar technologies to collaborate and interact with team members. Typical ...
... middle of paper ...
...social hours.
In our ever changing fast-paced global economy it looks as though telecommuting may be well on its way to transforming the work place and “the office” as we know it.
References
Ellen Baker, University of Technology, Australia, Gayle C. Avery, Maquarie University, Australia, John Crawford, University of Technology, Australia “Home Alone:
The Role of Technology in Telecommuting” Information Resources Management Journal, October-December 2006, Volume 19, Issue 4
Butler, E. Sonny. Aasheim, Cheryl. Williams, Susan. “Does Telecommuting Improve Productivity?” Communications of the ACM April 2007/Vol. 50, No. 4
Iscan, Omer. “Attitudes towards telecommuting: the Turkish case.” Journal of Information Technology (2005) 20, 52-63.
Oppenheim, Richard. “On the Road Again: Gear for a Mobile World” Searcher March 2008; 16, 3; Sciences Module pg. 20
In this essay, the author
- Explains that telecommuting is a work arrangement in which employees enjoy flexibility in working location and hours. telework requires management style based on results and not on close scrutiny of individual employees.
- Explains that telecommuters can carry laptops around which they can use at the office and at home and almost anywhere else. telecommuting equipment includes a fax machine, additional phone line with voicemail, storage media such as zip disks/drives or cd-roms to back up and transport computer files.
- Explains that men and women differ in their attitudes towards telecommuting, and that traditional roles of males and females haven't changed significantly.
- Explains the benefits of reduced travel time and costs for teleworkers, which is a primary motivation, in contrast to the "relaxed lifestyle" image.
- Explains that an effective telework and flexible working program reduces the need for relocation to take up "career moves" and other job changes.
- Explains that participation in the local community is an important benefit for rurally based teleworkers.
- Explains that a flexible approach to working hours often accompanies the successful teleworking program.
- Describes the benefits and advantages of telework methods for organizations.
- Explains that productivity increases of 40% have been reported, though a range of 10%-40% is probably more typical across large-scale programs. teleworkers avoid travel time and the interruptions of an office environment.
- Explains that employees respond well to the signal of trust and confidence indicated by the employer's adoption of more independent work styles encouraged by teleworking.
- Explains that employees who might otherwise leave can remain in their jobs. employees who take a career break can continue working part time and remain up to date with the business and its methods.
- Explains that people work in dispersed teams that can be assembled and reassembled as the needs of the enterprise change.
- Explains that telework can enable staff to work limited hours to match peak workload without the staff concerned having to travel.
- Explains that organizations with effective teleworking programs are more resilient in the face of external disruption, such as transport strikes, severe weather, natural disasters or terrorist action.
- Explains that customer service can be extended beyond the working day or working week without overtime payments or the need for staff to work (and travel) at unsocial hours.
- Opines that telecommuting may transform the work place and "the office" as we know it.
Related
- opinionated
- explanatory
- comparative
- analytical
- Telecommutingopinionated essayTelecommuting I found this article to be of great interest to myself because my work and life has revolved around telecommuting for the past several years. As the article indicates, “a telecommuter is anyone who works at least part of the time at home, in their cars, from clients’ offices, and/or in hotel rooms and telephone booths.” Although the article is somewhat dated (1995 to be exact), I feel that what Robert Moskowitz wrote about telecommuting back in 1995 still applies today. When I chose to go to work for ADP-Automatic Data Processing several years ago, I already had some previous work experience as a telecommuter.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they found this article of great interest to themselves because their work and life revolved around telecommuting for the past several years.
- Opines that telecommuting has been a viable solution for their employer, work responsibilities, and overall job satisfaction.
- Opines that telecommuting has allowed them the independence without the direct supervision to become more productive in their position.
- Opines that as technology advances, their current position as a telecommuter will become more efficient in the ways of doing business with their company and clients.
519 wordsRead More - Telecommutingopinionated essayTelecommuting Telecommuting has positives and negatives psychologically. Some positives include staying home with children; more free time, and making your own schedule, etc. Some say that looks very inviting. Many people, employees and managers, don't look at the negatives (no set times, difficulty communicating, being looked upon as a slacker, no face to face contact and so on) before they volunteer for their chance at freedom.
In this essay, the author
- Opines that telecommuting has positives and negatives psychologically, including staying home with children, more free time, and making your own schedule. many people, employees and managers, don't look at the negative aspects before they volunteer for their chance at freedom.
- Explains that telecommuters rely on several types of technology, such as the modem, internet service provider, digital subscriber line, integrated services digital network, and instant messaging.
- Opines that telecommuting would reduce the amount of people who had to drive to work, and the demand for gas would decrease. employers would benefit in not having to have office space for employees.
- Opines that legal issues that may affect telecommuting are still unproven. even though the person is not at the office certain things could be used as a liability to employers.
- Explains that telecommuting: a legal primer, managing teleworkers within the law, anticipate legal problems with your telework program before they arise
389 wordsRead More - IT Support Services for Telecommuting Workfoceexplanatory essayIn the previous study, the authors stated that there are various studies about the telecommuting include references to corporate attitudes toward telecommuting, motivation, productivity, supervision and employee satisfaction.
In this essay, the author
- Explains tuncay bayrak's paper, it support services for telecommuting workforce, which aims to provide a framework to help it managers to solve the issues in increasing their potential benefit of providing good support service.
- Explains that in the previous study, s stated that there are various studies about the telecommuting including references to corporate attitudes toward it, motivation, productivity, supervision and employee satisfaction.
- Explains that academic research and journalist were used to present key issues and challenges of supporting telecommuters, and 19 mba students from the mis course that are volunteering to discuss about main challenges related to providing various support services.
- Explains the four subcategories of support services that organizations must provide for telecommuter, including technical support, computer maintenance, and security and access control.
- Explains how it department can prevent telecommuters from being hacked and being attacked by viruses because of their work using the internet. it departments can control remote computer settings, monitor employee perform on the computer, and monitor activity.
733 wordsRead More - the good and bad of telecommutingexplanatory essayTelecommuting may be the movement of the future, which will allow more people to work away from the office. Many people see telecommuting as a way to be close to home or allow them to be connected to their organization while working abroad. While telecommuting might work for some people, telecommuting is not for everyone. There are many disadvantages; as well advantages to telecommuting which most people do not take into account. When considering telecommuting, the advantages fall for both employer and employee. The same can be said about the disadvantages of telecommuting.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that telecommuting may be the movement of the future, which will allow more people to work away from the office. while it might work for some people, it is not for everyone.
- Explains the advantages of telecommuting, stating that it benefits the employer because they have an expanded pool of employees.
- Describes the benefits of telecommuting for some employees. flexibility is a huge advantage, as it allows employees to coordinate work schedules with personal and family priorities.
- Explains the benefits of telecommuting on the environment, stating that a great deal of energy is required to produce transportation vehicles, and an employee is also an energy consumer.
- Explains the disadvantages of telecommuting, such as losing direct control over employees. managers find it easier to monitor the level of work done by employees in the office.
- Explains that a telecommuting company must ensure that hardware and software used by remote workers starts out and remains uniform because this simplifies support immensely. employees work non-standards hours, which implies that longer hours of support cover are required.
- Explains that telecommuting can be seen as an intrusion of the workplace into the home. when working from home, an employee has no concrete hours to work by.
- Opines that social isolation is another pressure that an employee must deal with. while some people enjoy working at home, most people miss the camaraderie and face-to-face interaction.
- Opines that telecommuting has become part of our social structure. it has allowed many people to reach love ones and to work from the comfort of their homes.
784 wordsRead More - Remote Employees Work From Home Challenges And Issuescomparative essayRemote Employees Work from Home Challenges and Issues The workplace today goes beyond just the walls and ceilings that surround an office environment or office building. According to the International Telework Association and Council, 44.4 million Americans worked from home at least part of the time in 2004, up 7.5% from just on year earlier (Earthweb, 2005). Though it may be very convenient to work from home, the choice can bring its own set of problems.
In this essay, the author
- Explains the challenges and issues that remote employees face when working from home. financial reasons, efficiencies, and managing time are just a few.
- Explains the financial issues for work at home employees, such as health insurance, retirement, tax, financial, and retirement.
- Explains that working from home requires discipline, organization, and time, which are difficult to balance. time management requires scheduling your hours of work in a manner that you can attend to your work without being disturbed.
- Explains that a manager who manages remote employees who work from home is critical when supervising remote workers. setting goals can help ensure projects stay on track.
- Recommends that enterprises develop a clear and comprehensive remote support strategy that defines the different levels of it support that will be provided to different kinds of telecommuting employees.
- Explains that successful home-workers integrate and compartmentalize their work, household, and family activities to establish boundaries and gain respect from others. rituals spark motivation and help manage stress.
- Cites work at home articles for work at home warriors, (2004), financial issues, managing your schedule wisely, and bringing more efficiency when you work from home.
1151 wordsRead More - 19th Century Feudalism Analysisexplanatory essayWorking from home has become very popular in recent years. Technology has again advanced into allowing many people to choose to work and live in the same place. With the further advancement of technology and specifically the automation of many jobs, it can be assumed that telecommuting will continue to increase in popularity, leading to more opportunities for spending time with
In this essay, the author
- Explains that working from home and an economy dominated by small-scale artisan labor/subsistence farming revolve around the idea of working and living in the same place. before the industrial revolution, feudalism was the dominant economic form in europe.
- Explains that feudalism consisted of numerous people working and living together on the same land. technological advancements combined with globalization led to many displaced workers.
- Opines that telecommuting will continue to increase in popularity, leading to more opportunities for spending time with family.
327 wordsRead More - What is telecommuting, and why would anyone want to either be employed by or employ others to work from their home? The telecommuting employees are “Salaried employees of an organization replace or modify the commute by working at home or a location closer to home than the regular workplace, generally using ICT to support productivity and communication with the supervisor, co-workers, clients, and other colleagues.” (Hoang, Nickerson, Beckman, & Eng, 2008) and according to studies 47 percent of telecommuting workers report that they are more productive while working from home due to a lessening of stress and increased satisfaction in their career - while their employers glean the benefit of saving 63 percent of the cost of absenteeism and save thousands of dollars annually over traditionally employed workers. (Potter, 2003) While some may say that in order to function properly in a workplace you have to be in the workplace, with minor adjustments in technology on both the employer’s and employee’s part telecommuting has become a proven, viable way for businesses to function profitably while their workforce remains able to reduce the stress of commuting on their personal and family lives.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that telecommuting workers are more prone to work more hours and increase their work load, although there is some controversy as to whether the increases are truly voluntary or are they put forth because of increased expectations on the employers’ part.
- Explains that glass, j. l., and noonan, m. c. (2012). the hard truth about telecommuting.
- Explains that telecommuting is a viable way for businesses to function profitably while reducing the cost of absenteeism and saving thousands of dollars annually.
- Explains that telecommuting employees and the business that employ them might approach a work-from-home situation for different motivations.
- Explains that telecommuting and corporate culture: implications for the mobile enterprise.
900 wordsRead More - Leadership Theory Summaryexplanatory essayTeamwork has become increasingly important as workers no longer focus on just getting their own tasks or the specific tasks of their department done but with working together with their teammates and other departments in achieving corporate goals. As the textbook states, while interactions occur between a manager and their subordinate, interactions occur between a manager and other teams and groups (Landy & Conte, 2013, p. 502). Telecommuting is a way to offer a work-life balance while keeping key people. However, the leader is challenged with keeping track of these employees in regard to monitoring what they are doing and communicating with them (Landy & Conte, 2013, p. 502). Telecommuting is difficult as the manager has difficulty building a relationship with these employees as well as balancing how to keep them engaged in what is going on in the company. They should be in the office periodically in order to keep grounded with the company. Temporary workers are a way of filling a void when additional resources are needed. Temporary resources are used when a company has fluctuating production needs. The challenge is that they may not have the same level of commitment to or have the same values as employees that are full time (Landy & Conte, 2013, p. 504).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the leadership theory of leader-member exchange suggests that leaders adopt different behaviors with individual subordinates and that their behavior pattern depends on the quality of the leader-subordinate relationship.
- Explains the importance of teamwork, telecommuting, and temporary workers in the workplace.
- Explains transformational leaders work with their team to ensure their staff understands how important their tasks are; they persuade staff to concentrate on goals and ignore self-centered strategies.
- Explains that women prefer democratic and participative leadership styles while men prefer autocratic styles. culture differences relate to power distance, fear of the unknown, and gender inequality.
825 wordsRead More - The Pros And Cons Of Virtual Workanalytical essayIs Virtual work beneficial or a hindrance in today’s society? A virtual worker is one who connects and interacts digitally, rather than having a physical office. To help determine the effectiveness of virtual teams, Elliott Enyedy, the Regional Controller of Eurest Dining Services, is interviewed to shed light on the pros and cons of being part of a virtual team. Elliott is the perfect example of a typical virtual worker, he work mostly from home except for when he needs to go to an account to meets with clients or other co-workers. Although many people have mixed opinions about virtual work; nevertheless, if one has a good understanding of the team process, virtual work can be very effective, but only with the use of good communication and
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how elliott enyedy, the regional controller of eurest dining services, is interviewed to shed light on the pros and cons of being part of a virtual team.
- Explains that eurest dining has a successful team because they understand the team process and understand what everybody needs to do.
- Analyzes how elliott shares good communication amongst his team, which allows for great success. he shares that he always keeps open lines of communication with his district managers in order to make sure they are on task.
- Explains how advances in technology have made virtual work more popular and efficient. they recommend a virtual worker to others, but only if they are technologically savvy and self-motivated.
904 wordsRead More - Virtual Work Vs Virtual Workplaceexplanatory essayNumerous factors have prompted the rise of virtual work over office settings. To begin with, there is a variety of employment circumstances and situations. For instance, a person who wishes to work for a company in Africa and he is based in the United States may want to consider working virtually. Similarly,
In this essay, the author
- Explains that diversity in work is now a notch higher as compared to the past, and that virtual work has greatly dominated the trend.
- Explains the rise of virtual work over office settings due to a variety of employment circumstances and situations.
- Explains that the rise in the interconnection between work relationship and private life is one of the factors behind the growth in virtual work setting.
- Acknowledges that the end of unified workplaces has come. companies are coming up with diverse ways of setting up their workplace, including virtual options.
- Explains that virtual work allows one to diversify opportunities by taking more than one career path.
- Explains that national labor markets have also changed by far. individuals travel from one country to another with the intention of seeking opportunities and creating some as well.
- Opines that virtual work has more merits as compared to physical office work. however, too much freedom while working may be a hindrance to productivity.
- Describes the costs and benefits of adopting work life balance working practices.
884 wordsRead More