Vor
Hundreds of companies nationwide are experimenting with an increasingly popular work arrangement called "telecommuting." According to a just-released survey by Link Resources, a New York-based technology research company, 5.5 million U.S. employees work at home but "commute" to work on a part-time or full-time basis via telephones connected to computers, fax machines and electronic mailservices. PeopIe who work at home while still on the corporate payroll save money they would otherwise have to spend on transportation, clothing, and daycare for their children. They claim they are able to get more work done at home than at the office, have a more enjoyable home life, and are no longer bothered by the stress of commuting.
For society, telecommuting means reduced pollution, reduced traffic, and more opportunities for disabled people to be employed.
Who telecommutes?
Link Resources' sixth annual work-at-home survey suggests that the average telecommuter is a married middle-aged man or woman, part of a dual-career household, and involved in an information-intensive occupation such as word processing, data entry, bookkeeping. Most telecommuters work at home on a part-time basis; 16% work 35 hours or more a week; and 80% work for companies with under 100 employees.
This "telecommuter profile" reflects two important workplace realities:
° According to the 1990 census half of all American workers are employed in jobs such as writing and word processing.
° Thanks to fax machines and computer technology, tasks can be performed as easily at home as at the office.
Telecommuting is not for everyone. Some supervisors are reluctant to let employees telecommute. The lack of supervision makes them feel like they are not really managing them. Telecommutlng may not be the best way to work for many employees, since they must be able to have the motivation and discipline to work independently.
The experience of one company - San Francisco-based Pacific Bell provides important insights into the benefits and drawbacks of work-at-home arrangements.
Pacific Bell is an $8.7 billion company with 65,000 employees. In 1985, it launched a pilot program with 100 employees to determine the benefits of telecommuting. The project was so successful that the company decided to offer the program on a continuing basis. Today nearly 2,000 employees across California - ranging from financial managment staff to engineering and planning personnel - spend between 20% and 100% of their work-week at home. weiter
| | Vor |