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Remote Control - From What Computer magazine
An increasing number of people are now abandoning the routine of leaving the house and going to work each morning. Instead they roll out of bed, make a cup of tea, and wander into what used to be called the study. These remote workers then fire up their computers, pick up the phone, and are up-and-running, before their office bound counterparts have even got into second gear. In this hi-tech age of mobile communications - the internet, laptops and even palmtops - there still remains a reluctance from many employers to allow their staff to work from home. They want to see hem at their desk, and be able to account for every working hour. The old image of the the shirker, feet up, watching Richard and Judy, having thrown a days "sickie" is one that is hard to eradicate.Of course it depends on the type of job. Labour intensive work, or employment requiring face to face contact by necessity has to be office based, but designers, promoters, sales and, dare I say it even journalists can work just as efficiently, if not more so from the confines of their own home.
Employees planning to work from home, will require a computer, a modem, e-mail, quote possibly an additional telephone line and a mobile phone, just to ensure the employer can make contact at all times. In truth, many workers - mobile or not - would have these already.
The potential for further advances as we move towards cordless systems of communication is staggering. Bluetooth technology is expected to provide state-of-the-art mobile computing.
Research company Dataquest has predicted that 79% of digital handsets and more than 200 million PCs will incorporate Bluetooth technology by 2002. There has been significant developments with ADSL and ISDN telephone lines, and it is now much simpler for remote workers to access company networks and intranets while on the move.
However it would require a fairly major cultural shift for many employers to actually trust their employees to work as required. If they can't see you working, how do they know you are?
Also the speed at which technology is advancing is quite frightening for employers. Often they feel they are "running to stand still" . So why should they want to invest, when more than likely, technological advances mean they will be rapidly outdated? Initial costs can be scary.E-business company ICL expects 35% of its employees to be mobile by 2002, due mainly to the increase in mobile computing and communication devices among its employees. For ICL, the trend is a welcome one, as it allows the company to reduce its overhead costs - possibly by 20% over the next four years. Just three years ago 95% of Ice's staff had their own desks, but now, 25% of the workforce is mobile.
Richard Reed, director of corporate infrastructure at ICL explained "The benefits for the mobile working employee are greater flexibility, improved networking and better use of time, particularly in relation to time spent in the office and facing the customer.
"To be successful though, you have you need to have a reliable IP network. People need to be confident in their ability to drop by an office and plug in their laptop into the network and get what they want. You also need a good intranet site to aid communication and engender a feeling of belonging."
