telecommuting

telecommuting, an arrangement by which people work at home using a computer and telephone, transmitting work material to a business office by means of a modem and telephone lines; it is also known as telework. Although the term "telecommuting" was coined in the early 1970s, the practice became more popular in the 1990s as personal computers became more affordable and the Internet became more accessible. Government agencies and environmental groups encourage telecommuting because it reduces pollution, saves gasoline, and creates a less congested commuting environment. Companies use telecommuting as a way of keeping valued employees who might otherwise be lost due to relocation or commuting stress. Some people feel they can be more productive when working at home, while others prefer an office environment. In 1999 about 10 million people worked in the United States as telecommuters on a regular basis.

Bibliography

See P. J. Jackson and J. V. D. Wielen, Teleworking: International Perspectives. From Telecommuting to the Virtual Organisation (1998); and J. M. Nilles, Managing Telework: Strategies for Managing the Virtual Workforce (1998).

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telecommuting

Working at home and communicating with the office by phone, fax and computer. In the U.S., at the beginning of the 21st century, more than 30 million Americans were telecommuting at least one day a week. Also called "teleworking" and "e-working."

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. See virtual company, telecity, ROWE and hoteling.

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telecommuting - The practice of working at home and communicating with your fellow workers through the phone, typically with a computer and modem. Telecommuting saves the employee getting to and from work and saves the employer from supplying support services such as heating and cleaning, but it can also deprive the worker of social contact and support.