Are you a teleworker? Would you know one if you saw one? According to a survey of business attitudes by the National Computer Centre and the Which Computer? Show, teleworking is the use of computers and telecommunications technology to extend elements of the working environment beyond the traditional workplace of the office. The survey claims that more than one in eight firms now use some form of teleworking and that nearly 75% of firms using teleworking described it as a primary benefit. And 16% of non-users are considering implementing teleworking, the survey says. Yet British industry is sceptical of potential savings, according to the survey, only 43% of non-users anticipate productivity increases as one of the key benefits, with only 12% rating it as the most significant benefit. The retention of specialist staff is cited as a major benefit by 27%, particularly in information technology-related jobs. 23% identified reduced costs as a significant benefit. Loss of face-to-face contact is viewed as a problem by 48%, the survey says. Teleworking companies fall into two groups, reactive and proactive. Reactive organisations had implemented teleworking in the main to retain staff, frequently at the request of staff. Proactive organisations had implemented teleworking primarily for cost savings or productivity reasons, often for field-based staff. Those most enthusiastic about teleworking include firms employing more than 1,000 people, those in the south of England, and those in the computer industry. The most popular jobs for teleworking are those in information technology or sales. Discipline among teleworkers does not appear to be a problem as staff regard it as a perk and often as the only way to keep their jobs. The survey was conducted in two phases, a mail survey was sent to all of the National Computing Centre’s 2,500 member organisations, of which 500 replied. This was followed up by phone interviews with 50 respondents to the mailed survey, mostly those using teleworking.
