The concept of the workplace has changed beyond recognition in this age of advanced telecommunication and cross border workforces. We look at long distance work, also called teleworking or telecommuting in a series of two articles. In the first of the two, we take a look at what it is and the value it brings.

The idea behind it

The term teleworking or telecommuting was invented by Jack Nilles to describe a work arrangement whereby employees don't have to be physically present at an official place of work at all times.

Telecommuting allows people to work from a location of their choice, usually their home. A telecommuting schedule may range from several days a week to once a month, depending on the employer's requirement.

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Teleworking, in particular, eliminates the need to travel on official work, by using advanced telecommunication devices to bridge the physical distance. Since this is dependent on the availability of phone or video conferencing facilities, teleworkers might work from a telework center at certain times.

Interestingly, telecommuting can happen in non traditional work settings as well - as example is inviting a customer for a cup of coffee and discussing a bit of business on the side! Working at the clients' office is another. In fact, this is also called 'distributed work'.

Win-win for both

Both teleworking and telecommuting offer several benefits both to the workers and the companies that employ them.

For employers, the most obvious advantage is reduced overheads especially in terms of cost of space. The use of telecommuting workers has also helped increase employee productivity, since there is no wastage of time on account of being stuck in traffic jams. It has also been seen that telecommuters are happier, given that they have more family time and feel less stressed out with their flexible work arrangements.

Interestingly, telecommuting has given rise to outsourcing of business processes in a big way - companies can either employ telecommuting staff from low cost locations, or offer their services to other companies in high cost regions. Global companies in particular can also operate round the clock by using telecommuters across various time zones to provide uninterrupted service. An example would be the customer care help desks of telecom companies.

Companies can also retain valued staff members even if they move to another location.

For the workers themselves, the option to work from "away" helps to improve quality of life, and opens up many more options of employment.

Opportunities of employment have opened up for persons with special needs - the disabled, the retired or women with small children to care for, can all choose to pursue a career by telecommuting or teleworking.