Telecommuting ISYM 540 Current Topics In Information System Management Anas Hardan

What is Telecommuting mean - Telecommuting and telework are synonyms for the use of telecommunication to work outside the traditional office or workplace, usually at home (SOHO) or in a mobile situation. According to one study, telecommuting has been growing at 15% a year since 1990 in North America. 80% of Fortune 1000 companies are likely to introduce it within the next two to three years. Although work at the company premises is not likely to disappear, new forms of telecommunication such as voice and picture communication and groupware are likely to make telecommuting more social in the future.

Goes Way Back In the 1960s, the information technology industry was one of the first to offer telecommuting to its employees. In those days, a small number of programmers worked at home one or more days a week; however, the only communications link to the office was the telephone. There were no modems attached to desktop computers because there were no desktop computers. A few programmers may have had the luxury of a terminal connected to a mainframe or minicomputer, but the majority wrote source code using a pen and paper. They created the input by "punching cards" and did the testing at a local datacenter.

Technology Internet. Intranet. VPN. Laptops. Phones. VoIP. Video conferencing. Web based applications. Satellite. Mali System

Can you do your work from home ? Company services and products. Job tasks. The technology. Work environment. Support. Customer service.

Benefits Cost savings –office overheads and labor. –Companies adopting telework methods achieve significant reductions in total office occupancy. Increased productivity –Productivity increases of 40% have been reported, though a range of 10%-40% is probably more typical across a large-scale program. Teleworkers avoid travel time and the interruptions of a office environment. Improved motivation –In successful programs, employees respond well to the signal of trust and confidence indicated by the employer's adoption of more independent work styles encouraged by teleworking. Skills retention –Employees who might otherwise leave can remain in their jobs, for example when the family moves because of a job change by another family member who works in a non-telework company. Employees who take a career break can continue working part time and remain up to date with the business and its methods. Organization flexibility –In the event of restructuring and reorganization people can continue to work without disruption to their personal lives. People work in dispersed teams that can be assembled and reassembled as the needs of the enterprise change. Flexible staffing –In activities that generate peaks and troughs of workload, telework can enable staff to work limited hours to match peak workload, without the staff concerned having to travel. In limited hours working the travel element can otherwise become as long as the work time. In some cases staff can be on "standby time" at home at retainer rates and then paid at higher rates when needed for active work. Enhanced customer service

Improved work opportunities –Work opportunities are not confined to jobs within reasonable commuting distance. Less disruption to family life –An effective telework and flexible working programme reduces the need for relocation to take up "career moves" and other job changes. Better balance of work and family life –Even though the teleworker may put in more hours of effective work, he or she can still expect to see more of the family and can more easily participate in home responsibilities such as ferrying children, shopping etc. Participation in the local community –An important benefit for many rurally based teleworkers is being "on the spot" to participate in community activities - for example as a school governor or in local clubs and societies, at a time when commuters are still en route.