What is Remote or Tele-Working?

These are methods whereby work is carried out in such a way that provides potential benefits for both the employee and employer. It is essentially a way in which work can be undertaken regardless of location and can result in a more positive work-life balance. It provides particular benefits for those who spend considerable amount of time commuting to meetings, live a long way from the office or are usually mobile but use the office as a base.

Benefits

Teleworking can reduce the problems of commuting by reducing travelling times and stress leading to a happier, more flexible workforce. Teleworking may also have an important role in reducing the number of miles we need to travel to undertake work and is thus likely to produce benefits to the environment by reducing congestion and emissions of carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter. Companies can also benefit from a greener corporate image.
 
There are a number of different types of teleworking;

• Home/flexible working -whereby work hours are adjustable and/or working from home is encouraged a few days a week.
• Working from a tele-centre - working in an office base that is not the employees usual work location (e.g a touchdown centre at the location of a meeting etc)
• Virtual meetings - using modern technology to conduct a meeting instead of travelling to be face-to-face (e.g. audio or video conferencing)

Audio-visual Conferencing

Video Conferencing is an interactive medium enabling people to communicate whilst being in different locations, possibly miles apart. Through advances in modern technology, it is not only images and sound that can be displayed, but also data, enabling the sharing of graphical or numerical information. This is converted to electronic signals and sent through telecommunications channels allowing communication between people almost anywhere in the world.

Meetings can be carried out without the need for physical attendance. This means less or even no time is spent travelling, so more time can be devoted to other areas of the job, helping to reduce stress. Audio-visual conferencing, most importantly will reduce the need to travel, thus decreasing travel costs, reducing time away from the office, removing the stress of travelling and has minimal effects on the environment.

Further information

• See the Department of Trade & Industry's Flexible Working webpages.
• Go to the Government's Work-Life Balance website.