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By
Akindman
What is Telecommuting?
Telecommuting or telework 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 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. A
person who telecommutes is known as a "telecommuter". A frequently
repeated motto is that "work is something you do, not something you travel
to". (From
Wikipedia)
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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. The terms telecommuting and telework were coined by
Jack Nilles in 1973. (From Wikipedia)
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Interesting Facts:
- If all Federal
employees who are eligible to telework full time were to do so, the Federal
Government could realize $13.9 billion savings in commuting costs annually and
eliminate 21.5 billion pounds of pollutants from the environment each year.
- For communities,
telecommuting can offer fuller employment (by increasing the employ-ability of
proximal or circumstantially marginalized groups, such as Work at home parents
and caregivers, the disabled, retirees, and people living in remote areas),
reduces traffic congestion and traffic accidents, relieves the strain on
transportation infrastructures, reduces greenhouse gases, saves fuel, reduces
energy use, improves disaster preparedness, and reduces terrorism targets.
- Telework centers are
offices that are generally set up close to a majority of people who might
otherwise drive or take public transit. They usually feature the full complement
of office equipment and a high-speed Internet connection for maximum
productivity. Some feature support staff such as receptionists. For example, a
number of telework centers have been set up around the Washington Metropolitan
Area: 7 in Maryland, 8 in Virginia, 3 in Washington, D.C. and 1 in West
Virginia.
- On December 9, 2010
President Obama signed H.R. 1722, the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, into
law
- The Clinger–Cohen Act
(CCA), formerly the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 1996 (ITMRA),
is a 1996 United States federal law, designed to improve the way the federal
government acquires, uses and disposes information technology (IT). CCA was the
first significant government guidance to encourage agencies and organization to
begin Telework.
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During the last ten years before I retirement,
teleworking was an option for many of the projects I was working – on a part
time basis. There was still a need for
me to be in the office – meetings, working on projects that required my presence
and the like – but I was still able to work away from my office.
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In the Washington DC Metro area, some progress is being
made for telecommuting/
Telework – yet nowhere near the projected 25-40% and the
daily rush hours reflect that.
Links to review for more information:
