Corporate Learning Watch
Teleworking
March 2011
New Technologies Help Employees Go Virtual
Watch List
Key Takeaways
• New technologies like Virtual Private Networks,
Voice over Internet Protocol, and desktop virtualization are allowing greater numbers and more
types of employees to telework.
• Telework, a term that encompasses telecommuting and mobile working, refers to an employee’s
use of telecommunication technology to work at a
location apart from the company office.
• In recent years, severe weather events and the
threat of the H1N1 flu pandemic caused massive
business shutdowns. Many companies now have
telework options to ensure continuity of operations during such events.
• Major benefits of teleworking include greater
employee satisfaction and retention, reduced
environmental footprint, increased employee productivity, and decreased overhead costs.
• Rising gas prices and increased awareness of
environmental issues are pushing more organizations to consider telework policies.
• Some organizations are encouraging some or all of
their employees to work virtually so as to reduce
or eliminate real estate, equipment, and energy
costs.
• At a minimum, companies should have policies
and infrastructure in place to allow for ad hoc
teleworking in order to maintain continuity of
operations.
Related Reports
• Managing Teleworkers
• Webinar Development & Use
• Cloud Computing
• Use of Podcasts, Blogs & Wikis in Learning
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Corporate Learning Watch
Teleworking
Executive Summary
Teleworking, or using telecommunication technology to work outside the office, is a growing trend. The
term teleworking is more comprehensive than the
more commonly used telecommuting, which usually
implies that the employee is tied to a home office
rather than the company office. New mobile technology allows people to work at any time and anywhere,
however, and several factors are influencing the
growth of teleworking, including the economic recession, high fuel prices, employees’ demand for a greater
work-life balance, and the existence of new technology that makes teleworking a viable option for more
types of employees.
way to continue working even if an appointment
or household emergency interrupts their day. With
more employees teleworking on a more formal
schedule, companies can reap the benefits of significantly reduced real estate, equipment, and energy
costs. Taken to its logical conclusion, some companies are staffed with only teleworkers; the whole
office has gone virtual.
Although some people have teleworked for many
years, in the past it was only an option for frequent
business travelers or those “knowledge workers”
whose work could be done from any basic computer.
However, new technology like Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP) phone service and Unified Communications (UC) software are allowing a greater range of
employees to work from home. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) permit employees to securely access
company resources from their personal computers,
while desktop virtualization allows IT departments to
more easily deploy the appropriate resources to each
employee. The basis for all these resources is the widespread access to broadband internet.
Teleworking provides many benefits to both employees and employers. Employees who telework report
increased job satisfaction and individual productivity. Companies with teleworking programs report
increased overall productivity from teleworking
employees as well as reduced overhead costs. A further benefit to both individuals and companies is the
environmental advantage of teleworking: with the
average worker driving 22 miles each way, a reduction
in commuters equals dramatically reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Teleworking can be implemented on an ad hoc basis
or a more formal basis. At a bare minimum, a policy
that promotes ad hoc teleworking will help maintain
continuity of operations, allowing crucial work to
continue even during inclement weather or times
when fears of a pandemic flu keep the majority of
workers home. Allowing for ad hoc teleworking also
increases employee productivity by giving them a
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Corporate Learning Watch
Teleworking
Business Options and Best Practices
working employees. Using technologies such as
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), Voice over Internet
Protocol (VoIP), and Web conferencing, employees
can conduct business in a “business-as-usual” way.
Telework Basics
The terms teleworker, telecommuter, virtual worker,
and mobile worker are often used interchangeably,
and there is indeed much overlap among them. In
general, the term telework encompasses the many
flexible work arrangements that allow employees to
do some or all of their work in a location other than
the company office. Telecommuting usually implies
working from home to avoid traveling to the office,
while mobile working infers working from a café,
library, business center, or other public area. The
concept of the virtual worker simply indicates that
the employee is taking advantage of technologies
that make it possible to be “virtually” in the office
without being there physically.
Teleworking is not a new concept; in fact, it has been
around since the early 1970s, when a NASA scientist
coined the term and conducted a study on its viability.
Although the 1973 feasibility study came in response
to high-traffic commuting in southern California, telecommuting did not gain popularity until the personal
computers (PCs) of the 1980s gave employees access
to office resources while they were away from the
office. Since then, the concept of telecommuting has
changed significantly as technologies have improved.
In the 1990s, widespread broadband internet access
gave remote employees access to e-mail and office
networks. As security and virtualization became more
sophisticated, employees were able to mimic office
environments on their home computers. Today, wireless internet access and internet-enabled phones
allow workers to be truly mobile, working anywhere
and at any time.
Telework is a growing trend in the United States.
According to the Telework Trendlines 2009 report
from WorldatWork, “The number of employee telecommuters in the U.S. increased 39 percent, from
12.4 million in 2006 to 17.2 million in 2008” (Telework
Trendlines, 2009). That number also represents an
increase of 74 percent since 2005. In addition, the
study determined that the most common places for
teleworking are an employee’s home or car, and a
customer or client’s place of business. Restaurants
and libraries are declining in popularity as places to
work.
In recent years, severe storms and the threat of the
H1N1 flu pandemic shut down many offices and kept
people from work, ultimately costing billions of dollars in lost productivity (Pandemic Planning, 2009).
Companies that had a teleworking policy and infrastructure in place, however, enabled their employees
to access the resources they needed to continue to
work productively.
During these times of economic recession, many
companies face the prospect of either closing their
doors, operating only part-time, or laying off large
percentages of employees. By giving employees
the ability to telework, however, organizations can
reduce their overhead costs substantially and still
remain operational. Taken to the extreme, technology now allows entire companies to “go virtual,”
giving up their offices, physical infrastructure, and
long commutes in exchange for a cadre of tele-
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Even in the absence of large-scale emergencies, the
exigencies of daily life often keep workers out of the
office for issues such as doctor’s appointments, sick
children, and household crises. For such “accidental”
or ad hoc telecommuters, the ability to telework
can mean the difference between missing an hour
of work and missing a day of work. Having a policy
that allows for teleworking is crucial for continuity of
operations.
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Corporate Learning Watch
Teleworking
Many companies explain that the reason they
started a teleworking policy was because an
employee requested it (Alverson, 1998). Once one
employee is allowed to telework, however, companies should be prepared with a set of criteria
and practices that can be applied to all employ-
As technology makes it possible for increasing
numbers of employees to telework, it is important
for organizations to have a thoughtful teleworking policy. Regardless of whether teleworking
happens on an ad hoc basis or a more ongoing
basis, the policy itself should never be ad hoc.
What Technologies Enable Telework?
Technology
Description
Phone
The most basic of technologies, a regular land-line phone, is a fixture in most
homes, and over 80% of the U.S. population now has at least one mobile phone.
Even the most casual teleworkers need access to a reliable phone, and for the
regularly scheduled teleworker, this phone may need to have increased functionality. For instance, telecommuters who primarily work from home and use their home
phone line need to ensure that colleagues or clients can reach them in a consistent and appropriate way. This means that other family members should not have
access to the phone during business hours. Similarly, the voicemail associated with
the phone should contain a work-oriented outgoing message, not a family message.
The same guidelines apply to mobile phones: If they are being used for work, they
should have a professional outgoing message, and employees should be aware of
background noise. Employees should also be wary of using the phone in inappropriate locations, such as a bar or a sporting event.
Voice over
Internet Protocol
(VoIP) Phone
One way to avoid confusion over employee use of personal phones while working
remotely is to offer Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone service. Also known as
Internet telephony, VoIP refers to the technology that allows users to make and receive
phone calls via broadband or wireless internet access. Some mobile phones offer VoIP
capability, while employees who work only at home may access VoIP directly from
their PCs, through a specific VoIP-enabled phone, or through an analog telephone
adapter (ATA). VoIP ties the employee’s phone to the company’s phone system so that
callers can dial a company-based phone number to reach the employee or leave a
voicemail on the company-based system. A caller can also reach the company operator or other extension through the company’s existing system; no one need know that
the employee is not in the office. Another benefit is that VoIP gives the company much
more control over the phone system.
Fax
Fax (short for facsimile) capability is not a necessity for all mobile workers on
a daily basis. In certain fields, however, such as accountancy and real estate,
signatures may need to be faxed several times a day. While fax capability used
to entail installing a separate piece of equipment with a separate phone line,
internet faxing (e-faxing) now delivers faxes via e-mail, which users can then
print and sign if necessary.
Broadband
Internet
Connection
A broadband internet connection may be the single biggest factor that allows
employees to work remotely. The dial-up modems of the early 1990s allowed
data to be transmitted at a rate of only 56 kilobits per second (kbit/s), thus limiting the amount of data that employees could access. Today, broadband access
rates of 700+ kbit/s allow for many of the necessary technologies described in
this section, including VoIP, cloud computing, instant messaging, web conferencing, and virtual private networks.
Wireless Fiber
Internet Access
(Wi-Fi)
Wi-Fi internet helps mobile workers be truly mobile, giving them access to e-mail,
files, and other work resources while away from the office or even their home computer. Wi-Fi access points in airports, cafes, and malls keep employees constantly
connected, and although this continuous availability is not for everyone, it can be
very important for some.
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Teleworking
What Technologies Enable Telework? (continued)
Technology
Description
Smartphones
Smartphones are mobile phones with extra functionality, such as internet, file reading and
writing, and calendar. Most smartphones synchronize (synch) with desktop or mainframe
computers, so users can access their information on the go.
Internet
Message
Access
Protocol (IMAP)
The Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) is an e-mail platform that allows a
user to access his or her e-mail account from multiple locations and see the same
data. Whereas with the Post Office Protocol (POP), messages are downloaded to
the user’s computer and stay there, with IMAP, the messages (and folders, saved
mail, and other settings) reside on a server until the user deletes them. IMAP is a key
feature for mobility of user data.
Cloud
Computing
Cloud computing is a service model for providing computing resources like applications, storage, and infrastructure via the internet. With files and other data accessible
through internet-based services, employees don’t need to worry about taking their
work with them because they can log into their Cloud computing site from any computer and access their files remotely.
Desktop
Virtualization
With traditional computing, all software and files are installed directly to a user’s computer, where he or she can access them. With desktop virtualization, the resources exist
on a central server, and the user logs in to the server to access those resources virtually.
Desktop virtualization gives IT departments a simple way to provide employees with the
resources they need without having to physically access the remote computers. For companies with a large percentage of teleworking employees, desktop virtualization is one of
the crucial factors that enable IT departments to support remote staff.
Instant
Messaging (IM)
Once the province of teenagers socializing with each other, Instant Messaging (IM)
has become a staple of teleworking. It substitutes for “over-the-cubicle” conversations
between workers who need quick answers to pertinent questions by providing real-time,
text-based chat capability. It can also be tracked and monitored by managers; many
managers cite IM as a way to check up on teleworking employees and make sure they
are working productively and staying on task.
Virtual Private
Network (VPN)
Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) offer remote employees a way to access their company’s
private network via the public internet. Since most companies’ networks are protected by a
firewall, the VPN provides a secure, encrypted channel to company resources.
Web
Conferencing
A web conference uses internet-based communication tools like VoIP, video, virtual
white boards, chat rooms, screen sharing, and polls or surveys to mimic the features of
a live conference.
Web 2.0 Tools
Web 2.0 describes web-based applications that promote networking and sharing information. Web 2.0 tools like blogs, wikis, virtual worlds, and social networking sites give
employees an unprecedented way to interact with their peers both within and outside their
companies. As teleworkers become a larger part of the workforce, Web 2.0 tools create a
“virtual water cooler:” a place where employees can share information that is critical to their
jobs while also building their community.
Unified
Communications (UC)
Unified Communications (UC) integrates multiple communication modalities – voicemail,
e-mail, fax, mobile phone, presence – into one system, with information relayed over several systems. For instance, a caller can call one number to reach a teleworking employee,
and the call will automatically be routed to the employee’s home or cell phone if he or
she is out of the office. Then, if the caller leaves a voicemail, the message will be sent to
the employee as both an e-mail and a text message in addition to being recorded on the
voicemail system. UC can help teleworkers communicate seamlessly with colleagues and
clients both within and outside the office. Key to the success of UC is the concept of “presence” — that is, which employees are available for what type of communication.
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Corporate Learning Watch
Teleworking
ees. Some state and municipal governments offer
subsidies for individual teleworkers or for telework
initiatives, while the federal government mandates
that all of its departments have telework programs.
nology Industry Association (CompTIA), 67 percent
of companies cite greater employee productivity as
a result of implementing telecommuting initiatives
(Krasne, 2009). In fact, most proponents of telework
cite increased productivity as one of the major drivers of the movement. Certainly, omitting the morning
and afternoon commute can add several hours to an
employee’s day, and many telecommuters state that
they use this extra time for catching up on e-mails,
calendar issues, and other administrative tasks. Some
simply use the longer day to work longer hours, while
others use the extra time to create more flexibility for
family or personal time. Apart from the time gained
by bypassing the daily commute, many employees
feel that they can work more efficiently away from the
distractions of the office. Whether it is a quiet room at
home or an isolated corner of a café, non-office environments may help employees work more effectively.
And as discussed above, the ability to telework allows
workers to work from home when they cannot get to
the office.
Who can Telework?
Teleworking has long been necessary for employees whose work requires them to do a significant
amount of travel. Sales representatives, trainers, and
technical installers do most of their work remotely.
For these road warriors, who may spend months
at a time out of the office, being able to telework
effectively and productively is crucial. In the past,
these workers had to utilize the business centers of
hotels or rent services from “telework centers” or “telecenters.” Today, however, many of the technologies
discussed above have enabled them to truly take
their work on the road and be as productive out of
the office as they are in it.
Aside from those employees whose extensive travel
requires teleworking, telecommuting was usually limited to “knowledge workers” — individuals who work
with information, not with the physical production of
goods or services. Knowledge workers include writers,
researchers, and analysts. However, recent technologies such as VoIP, VPNs and Cloud computing have
made it possible for companies to broaden the definition of which fields are suitable for teleworking. Call
center employees, who were once limited to a room
full of phones and cubicles, are now part of a new
wave of teleworking employees. Nonetheless, there
are certain workers for whom teleworking will never
be an option. Assembly workers, grocery clerks, security guards, and other similar positions will never be
able to replace their physical presence with a virtual
one.
Environmental Responsibility
Another major driver of many organizations’
telework initiatives is the desire to be more environmentally conscious. Rising fuel costs, coupled with
an increased awareness of climate change issues,
are pushing people to consider the efficacy of commuting. According to a 2007 study by the Consumer
Electronics Association, if the 53 million people who
could telecommute were to start telecommuting
just one day per week, it would result in an 8 percent
reduction in U.S. energy consumption. According
to the study, the 2007 telecommuting rates alone
were equivalent to taking two million cars off the
road, or saving enough energy to power one million
homes (Martin, 2008). Individual companies with
effective telecommuting policies have earned the
right to flaunt their reduced environmental footprint. Software giant Cisco, for example, reported
that its large-scale telework program prevented
approximately 47,330 metric tons of greenhouse gas
Benefits of Teleworking
Increased Productivity
According to a 2007 survey by the Computing Tech-
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Corporate Learning Watch
Teleworking
emissions from being released (Wolchack, 2009).
Acronyms
Reduced Overhead Costs
HR: Human Resources
IM: Instant Messaging
IT: Information Technology
UC: Unified Communications
VoIP: Voice over Internet Protocol
VPN: Virtual Private Network
While companies that are entirely virtual have significantly reduced overhead costs, implementing
teleworking on a smaller scale can still help companies reap the benefits of lower real estate, equipment,
and energy costs. Experts suggest that “companies
can reduce operating costs by 40 percent per person
by letting them telecommute” (Marquez, 2008). In
order to see these savings, however, organizations
must have a formal telework policy and know, on a
given day, how many people will be in the office. The
practice of “hot desking,” or setting up shared workstation spaces for revolving employees, can allow
companies to reduce their infrastructure while still
maintaining the same staffing levels. For instance, if
a 100-person company has a policy that leads to 25
employees teleworking each day, the company can
occupy office space that is 25 percent smaller. Such
calculations cannot work if teleworking only happens on an ad hoc basis.
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