Where we work
Working from home
Once the preserve only of the low-paid and those managers with the authority to send themselves home, homeworking has been taken up enthusiastically by some organisations recently as a way to save office space and slash commuting times. Working from home requires discipline and some find difficulty without a physical divide between the workplace and home.
Teleworking
Teleworking means using communications technology to work at a remote distance from an employer or client, often sending work electronically or by courier services. It has been a fast growing way of working, with some rural communities seeing teleworking as a way to overcome economic difficulties.
Teleworkers often work at home and face the same challenges as homeworkers, including reduced face-to-face interaction with colleagues and clients.
Mobile working
Mobile workers may have a base but work in different locations, often carrying out work on clients’ premises. Communication technology means that workers can stay in touch with the office and call in only when necessary for supervision, training and meetings.
Virtual teamworking
In virtual teamworking, a number of people collaborate through information technology on a project but rarely or never meet face-to-face. Developments such as videoconferencing, virtual private networks and collaborative project software have made such work more possible. Virtual teamworking is most common in IT, the media, advertising, publishing and the creative industries.