The diminishing need for a physical presence — moving work to the worker

Abstract

Weighs up teleworking and telecommuting and their affect on today’s working environment — stating that if a job or major portions of it, does not intrinsically depend on the location of the worker, then it is teleworkable. Suggests some alternative forms of telecommuting: home‐based; satellite telecommuting centres; local telecommuting centres; and combinations. Uses 4 Figures to aid in emphasizing some organizational design as well as greater flexibility of location: fragmentation; dispersion; diffusion; and network. Looks at regional characteristics of various world areas in: Latin America and the Caribbean; eastern Europe and north Asia; Asia Pacific; south Asia; Asia planned economies; and Africa and the Middle East. Concludes telework will steadily increase as a work mode in the future, though some areas (Eastern Europe and Latin America) may still have major reliance on labour at worksites.