Telework Towards the Elusive Office Ursula Huws, Werner B. Korte and Simon Robinson for Empirica Since the early seventies the concept of telework has been popularised and sensationalised by futurologists and the media. Usually, but not always, portrayed idealistically, telework continues to be a subject of interest to both the practitioner and the academic world. By examining and interpreting the results of three major European surveys, this book moves away from the journalistic approach of earlier work and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the present reality of telework and it's likely future. In addition it draws on a wealth of empirical evidence to present a critical, objective and rigorous analysis of the economic, social and legal faces of telework from the perspectives of the individual worker and the policy analyst as well as the organizational manager. Early predictions may have been simplistic and overstated, but managers and workers cannot afford to ignore the implications of a technology which is becoming both cheaper and more widely available. The office is ceasing to be a fixed geographical space and becoming instead a web of relationships held together by telecommunication networks. Although full-time homeworking may never become a reality for the majority of people, we are moving into the era of the elusive office and few jobs will be entirely unaffected. For all those interested in telework—employers, employees, consultants, managers, computer professionals, as well as academics and researchers—this book will provide essential reading. Reviews of the hardback edition ‘… a valuable and comprehensive addition to the debate on future patterns of work.’ Computer Bulletin ‘… a detailed and studious book. It tackles the subject from all angles—the organisation and management of telework, the legal aspects, the economics and how it feels for the teleworkers.’ Telecom World
