ECDL 
Module 1 Workbook 1311. Teleworking
The introduction of ICT has led to a big change in the way some people work. Because of the Internet and the ability to communicate with the company network from anywhere in the world, many workers now work part time or full time from home.
Telework is not a specific job in itself, it is a method of working, which is usually taken to mean doing your job from home.
This could apply to people working full time or part-time at home, those dividing their time between home and the office, and mainly mobile workers who use their home as an administrative base.
Telework is growing. Over 7 million people in the UK now use IT to help them work away from the traditional office environment, either full time or part time.
It is estimated that the average person spends around 4 hours travelling to work each week. That is a lot of time sat in a car!
Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you
Click on this link: Teleworking
| For individuals | For the employer |
|---|---|
| You can work the hours you want, so if you like to get up at 6am and finish by lunchtime, you can do that. Likewise, if you are a sleepyhead, you can stay in bed until noon and work until late in the evening. | They can employ people who don't live near to the office. This means they can choose people who might be willing to work for lower wages. They can even employ people from other countries |
| It makes possible to work around family commitments, for example young children or elderly parents. | If there is a shortage of skilled labour in the local area then they can get the skilled staff that they need from elsewhere in the country |
| You can take a break when you want one. You can stop to chat to a friend if the phone rings or watch something on the TV. | They might be able to keep hold of valuable members of staff who might otherwise leave, for example, women who have just had a baby. |
| It saves a huge amount of time that would normally be spent travelling to work. There is no need to spend an hour each morning and evening stuck in traffic jams. You can spend that time working instead. | They can have smaller premises so they save money on rent, car parking space, heat etc. |
| You save the cost of petrol that you would normally need to travel to work and also the cost of car parking tickets. | They get workers who might be more satisified with their jobs and thus be more committed or work harder. |
| For individuals | For the employer |
|---|---|
| It is hard to feel like you can ever get away from work. | They are not always sure that people are putting in the right amount of hours |
| You might end up working longer hours than you would in an office. You think, 'I'll just do a bit more, I'll just check my email'. | Work might not be delivered on time |
| You might always be 'on call'. Because you are at home, the office might think that you are always available to do just a bit more work | Workers might not be at home to receive an email or urgent telephone call |
| Sometimes it can be hard to motivate yourself. There can be a lot of distractions and you might be tempted to do other things rather than work | Work might be of a lower standard than when produced in the office |
| You can miss out on the social side of work. There is no team spirit, no one to talk to and you can feel lonely | Hard to motivate staff and have a feeling of a good company spirit. |
Challenge see if you can find out one extra fact on this topic that we haven't already told you
Click on this link: Working from Home
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