From Teleworking to E-Work :: essays research papers

From Tele subjecting to E-WorkThe avocation was an invited contribution to The West Berkshire Labour Conference, which was held in July 2000 by Thames Valley Enterprise (the predecessor of the Business Link crinkle information agency).Over the last few years improvements in portable computers and restless communications (boosted by services from locally based Vodafone) has seen a growing in the use of virtual go forthing and e-working (electronic working). Much of this has happened in an ad-hoc bureau as managers and professionals simply adapt to working in a billet independent manner - in hotels, airport lounges, at radical and on the move. This e-conference is an example of virtual working, where previously there would have been a current conference. In other words, business activities that once would have been specially earmarked as telework are now becoming part and parcel of everyday work - but not fast enough.The Aspiration GapVarious surveys bespeak that about 5 p er cent of UK workers are classified as teleworkers i.e. they send away signifi raftt time working away from offices using telecommunications. Yet the intimately remarkable finding is that some two thirds of employees would like to telework if their bosses would let them. The challenge, as always, is one of management. Managers mustiness learn to manage at a distance. They must plan and develop work methods that allow - even encourage - employees to work in the most effective settings, which may be at home or in a shared satellite office away from areas of high rents and labour shortages, like West Berkshire. They must learn how to come close employees performance by outputs not by inputs (i.e. time spent sit down in the office). None of this is new. There is now over a decades cost of proven cases where organizations, such as Siemens, Sedgwick, Oxfordshire County Council, have gained significant benefits from telework, and many pragmatic guidelines (see Resources at end).For mal Telework ProgrammesCompanies that have fully achieved significant benefits have through so through a formal telework programme. While ad-hoc or everyday teleworking will have some benefits (mostly for the employee), only a domineering approach will gain the organization-wide benefits that are achievable. Simply because someone can use a mobile telephone and portable computer does not mean a) that they are effective as they could be and b) that the organizations work ashes as whole is optimized. A typical formal programme has the following elementsA focused programme team with representatives from different parts of the business and specialists in the disciplines needed - technology, change management, work design etc.