A New Way of Working

More and more people in the UK are doing their jobs at home. Baz works as an engineer in a London factory. He has been an engineer since he left school, but he isn’t very optimistic about his future. Heavy industry in the UK has almost disappeared. Baz also gets fed up with his long train journey to work, which can take up to two hours a day. His sister, Liz, lives in Scotland. She is an IT trainer at a local college. Once every four weeks, she meets her trainees in person, but most of her training is done through IT technology. Baz’s wife, Helen, seldom goes to work. She is a graphic designer for a London advertising firm. Once she has got the children off to school, she starts her work in front of her computer screen. When she finishes her designs, she sends them electronically to her director. Most people in the UK, like Baz, commute to work. 20% of the UK workers spend over an hour a day commuting. But an increasing number of people work as telecommuters, whether full-time or part-time. So what are the advantages? Teleworkers can save hours by not travelling to work. “I hated my journey to work,” said Helen. “Now all I have to do is walk downstairs.” Many teleworkers say that working at home is much less stressful. It’s good news for both workers and managers. Teleworkers have their own associations and Liz is a member. One of her roles is to encourage employers to look for ways to help their staff work at home. “Think how much a company can save in rent, heating or air conditioning, taxes, maintenance ... it all adds up,” said Liz. “Working at home can also increase productivity by 25%.” Then, is telecommuting fit for everyone? “It is hard at first,” said Helen, “but overall, I love it.”