Work is something you do, not somewhere you are
Telework first came on the agenda in the middle of the 1970s. The idea was that advances in information and communications technology had removed much of the necessity for commuting to a common work place, since it was now possible to do a perfectly good job at home or near one's home. Another contributing factor was the increase in petroleum prices – what we normally refer to as the 1970s oil crisis. Telework could help to reduce the amount of travel to and from work, and hence also the consumption of petroleum products. This reduction is moreover of environmental significance, since less commuting – or commuting outside of the rush hour – can lead to a reduction in traffic congestion and exhaust emissions.
Telework has since developed into a relatively common feature of the modern working day, fulfilling a number of requirements both for the employer and for the employee. However, telework has become more widespread and complex than was envisaged in the 1970s. Arrangements involving strictly controlled telework are making way for more flexible agreements, in which the nature of the current work assignment to an increasing degree determines the work pattern – both at the work place and elsewhere. Arrangements involving mobile telework have also become very widespread.
Experience with telework shows that the importance of organisational and contractual factors is much greater than was envisaged in the scenarios originating in technology alone. A good working environment is just as important at a remote work place as at any other, and the way in which the telework agreement evolves and is introduced is also of major importance. As a rule of thumb, it is important that those employees affected by the arrangement are allowed a high degree of involvement in its development, since the success of any telework arrangement is strongly dependent upon the agreement of, and mutual confidence between, the participants.
If telework is to be used as a means of influencing more wide-ranging factors like the external environment, business development or regional development, a more thoroughly planned strategy is necessary at a company and society level, and in addition behavioural changes will be required of each individual1. In general, this kind of overall strategy is also dependent upon telework functioning well in the daily life of both employer and employee.
Information and communications technology is of crucial importance to the range of work assignments which lend themselves to telework. Telenor provides the full range of products and services for telework, and has also developed solid expertise in the fields of consultancy and research on the subject. Representatives from Telenor have also been involved in the founding of Norsk fjernarbeidsforum – a unified portal into the Norwegian specialist telework milieu.
Telework has in recent years become the object of renewed interest in connection with the development of flexible office solutions, based on the idea that when the entire staff is not present at all times – either owing to telework, holidays, leave or business travel – it is perhaps not necessary for each employee to have a permanent office location. It is difficult to conceive how daily work at Kokstad, Tyholt and Fornebu could have been realised if telework had not become established.
- John W. Bakke, Telenor R&D
1 T. Julsrud (2000): "Telependling", in M. Kolbenstvedt (Ed.) et al.: Miljøhåndboken, Oslo, Transportøkonomisk institutt.
Telenor R&D has published a number of articles on the development of telework in the periodical "Teletronikk". The articles (in PDF format) will be found by clicking on the following links:
John Willy Bakke and Tom Erik Julsrud (1999): Telework research: Setting the scene
Tom Erik Julsrud (1999): The silent transformation of the workplace: Distribution of Norwegian teleworkers 1995 – 1998
John Willy Bakke (1999): Developing telework regulations
