Office Workstations in the Home (1985) / Chapter Skim
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Pages 133-144
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From page 133... ...
Unlike today, most of those future computers will be connected, or connectable, to digital telecommuniJack M Nilles is director of the Information Technology Program, Center for Futures Research, Graduate School of Business Administration, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
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From page 134... ...
labor force comprises information workers, those whose income clerives primarily from creating, assembling, manipulating, storing, and disseminating information, or operating information processing machines. There is less agreement on the future growth of this sector, particularly as the influence of microcomputers is felt.
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From page 135... ...
Census data, there is a long-term population trend away from the cities and into rural areas.2 Skilled information workers, managers, professionals, and technicians constitute a disproportionate share of those people choosing to leave the cities. Most of the managers, professionals, and technicians are men.
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From page 136... ...
In a more sanguine frame of mind, in 1971 ~ anticipated that productivity would increase for information workers using computers in environments more isolated than the average office. Experiments in 1973 in the insurance industry supported my assumption; productivity of clerical workers and underwriters increased 15 percent in a remote office situation.3 Evidence presented in this volume indicates productivity improvements for home telecommuters of at least 20 percent in aU cases, with several claims of 50 percent or more for some workers, managers, professionals, and clericals.
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From page 137... ...
On the contrary, anecdotal evidence gathered at the University of Southern California indicates that organizations with good internal communications systems that include the remote employees, through electronic messaging for example, induce stronger feelings of identification with organizational goals.4 Of course, the evidence also shows the greater importance of good communications between an employer and an employee working in a remote situation. ATTRACTIVENESS Our initial opinion, in the early 1970s, was that home telecommuting would not be attractive to many people, primarily for social reasons.
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From page 138... ...
At that time telecommuting looked attractive to employers on the cost basis alone. As central city property costs have escalated over the last decade, and as information technology costs have plummeted, the advantages have become even more striking.
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From page 139... ...
Handicapped individuals with limited mobility may also be exceptionally motivated candidates for telecommuting, since it gives them a special employment opportunity. Three groups might benefit from training specifically oriented to telecommuting: managers, telecommuting employees, and the office staffers who work with the telecommuters.
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From page 140... ...
Clearly, there is greater risk of equipment loss and information leakage when the information system is physically distributed over a wide area rather than concentrated at a single work site with access control. EMPLOYEE ISSUES Issues of fair employment practices, led by concerns about various forms of exploitation of workers, are a major component of this volume.
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From page 141... ...
Thus far, computers cannot distinguish between an adult worker performing a job and a child using the same equipment as an aid to parents. It is not difficult to imagine children as information workers in situations that violate child labor laws.
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From page 142... ...
The value judgment can include the marginal costs to the employer of providing telecommuting capability, provided that it also includes the benefits to the employer of increased productivity. There is considerable variation, however, in existing corporate policies.
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From page 143... ...
Single-company satellite centers and multicompany facilities operations will develop. Possibly equally important wiD be the grass roots advances in telecommuting produced by individual employees and by small firms utilizing telecommuting technologies.
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From page 144... ...
Social aspects of electronic mail systems. Annenberg School of Communications, University of Southern California.
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