Defining telework and its relevance to sustainable development

Question: 

Write an Academic Report? The report is to be based on the following scenario about the use of teleworking as an example of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for sustainable development.
With the use of ICT of ever increasing sophistication in the organisations and our daily life, today’s organisations are very well positioned to contribute to the sustainable development.  It is widely believed that an organisation that employs teleworkers can contribute to the sustainable development by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions, as they do not need to travel to work. Teleworking also provides economic savings to the organisation as well as the teleworkers. Despite all these, teleworkers are still a small share of the total workforce of a country. 

You are an employee of a large organisation based in Sydney. By introducing teleworking in the organisation, your supervisor plans to contribute to sustainable development and has asked you to research about teleworking. You are to write a report to be presented at the next executive meeting. The report should include:

1. Teleworking and its challenges to the organisation and the teleworkers. You should consider the social, economic, ethical and legal factors.
2. A critical review whether teleworking would really reduce nett greenhouse gas emissions as widely believed.

This particular paper will be demonstrating the relevance of a comprehensive framework for assessing how the concept of telework contributes in affecting sustainable development and reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. The term teleworking can be defined and explained in a number of different ways with a number of variations. Work has always been taking place in a number of different locations, from the plants of production and offices of government to coffee shops and private homes. Any explanation related to telework has to be differentiated amongst the different categories of work and new patterns of work, and the changes related to location that have been introduced by the technologies of information and communication. From the perspective of the society and transportation, it is the change with respect to location that is relevant instead of the utilization of ICT. The importance, significance, disadvantages and several other different factors will be discussed in this report in context with the organization of TELSTRA Corporation Ltd.

With the utilization of ever increased sophistication with the organization and the daily life of general public, in the current era of globalization, the organization of TELSTRA has been capable of positioning itself in contributing towards the development of sustainability. It is a wide belief of the organization that with the help of teleworking it has been successful in contributing towards developing sustainably by the reduction in the emission of green- house gases. The technology of teleworking has helped in providing economic amount of savings towards the teleworkers as well as the organization. Irrespective of all of these, teleworkers have still been remaining as a small amount of share related to the entire working of the nation. Based on the research, the report has contributed in demonstrating that by the implementation of teleworking, there can be savings in the emissions of carbon per year per employee, by 242 kg on an average.

Telstra Corporation Limited that shall be referred to as Telstra, is the largest organization of media and telecommunications, based in Sydney, Australia. The organization is known for building and operating the networks of telecommunications and the voices of market, accessibility of the internet, mobile and other products as well as services of entertainment. Telstra has been having a long history in the nation of Australia that had been originated as a department of the government, the department of Postmaster- General (Alizadeh 2009). Telstra, in the current era, is now known to be completely privatized and the one that undergoes a program of change for becoming more and increasingly focused upon the customers.
The organization has not been denying the fact that customers are the main source of profit for the organization. Also, the organization is able to understand that currently, the customers have been highly focused on sustainable development of the organization. This has been considered as the main reason due to which, the organization is showing willingness towards the introduction of teleworking in order to be able to develop with sustainability. There has been wide assumption in the fact that there are a number of environmental advantages from utilizing the services and products of telecommunications (Haddon 2009). In the typical sense, these particular benefits create a focus on reducing the travelling of commuters that results in the environmental advantage like reduction in the emissions of green- house gases and the congestion of traffic as well.
However, it has recently been released by the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission as a point of concern that the customers may be misguided by the claims of marketing regarding the benefits for the environment of having services and products in the absence of quantifying the advantages (Haddon 2009). Even though this particular system bring flexibility and autonomy in the management of work that can result in increasing the level of satisfaction and productivity amongst the work force, it also contributes in presenting two main challenges. These challenges are difficulty being faced in the separation of home lives and work lives, and the feelings of being socially isolated.

Greenhouse gas emissions reduction and economic savings through teleworking

The organization of Telstra has been obtaining consultancy regarding global engineering and environment for further exploring and calculating the benefits of having teleworking in favour of the environment. This will ultimately lead towards developing in a sustainable manner. This had been done by utilizing the methodology of Life Cycle Assessment. The study will be utilizing published sources of data that will help in enhancing the content of the research for the organization of Telstra. If the application of the finding will be done across the entire population of workforce in Sydney, there can be elimination of approximately one million tonnes of green- house gases with the passage of every year.

Telework is a term of umbrella for the utilization of technology related to communications and information for the performance of work by the maintenance of distance and thus, there is an inclusion of workers who are self- employed, contractual, and salaried, along with after- hour’s activity of work with the help of the commuters (Haddon 2009). Telecommuters, also referred to as the paid employees, who have been working from home rather than commuting on daily basis, are a sub- category of teleworkers and have been identified as the main focus for availing present attention. Only by the consideration of telecommuters that are full- time, the organization of Telstra hopes on making responses of behaviour in a distinct but visible manner.
Hence, on the basis of the research conducted, it can be stated that telework is an arrangement of workplace within which the employees get the permission of working full- time or part- time from the primary location of workplace. Majority of the teleworkers are known to be working from their own locations, but only a very limited number of workers work from the location of their tele- centres (Alizadeh 2009). Tele- centres are the offices that have the sources of communication for being in accessibility of the main workplace, but that is closer to the homes of the employees. Telework, in general sense, is on the basis of exchanging information through computers and telephones.

While a number of scholars have been showing considerable amount of attention and devotion towards the implication of transportation related to telework based on home, the same statement cannot be referred to for other potential impacts on the environment in relation with the practice of work. From the perspective of the environment, transportation has been considered as a paramount concern as there are a number of available evidences that by the evolution of teleworking and telecommuting, there will be a substantial reduction in the utilization of vehicles that will ultimately reduce the emission of green- house gases (Bailey and Kurland 2012). Telstra, in the current era, is now known to be completely privatized and the one that undergoes a program of change for becoming more and increasingly focused upon the customers. The organization has not been denying the fact that customers are the main source of profit for the organization. Also, the organization is able to understand that currently, the customers have been highly focused on sustainable development of the organization.

Challenges and concerns

The term teleworking can be defined and explained in a number of different ways with a number of variations. Work has always been taking place in a number of different locations, from the plants of production and offices of government to coffee shops and private homes. Any explanation related to telework has to be differentiated amongst the different categories of work and new patterns of work, and the changes related to location that have been introduced by the technologies of information and communication (Bailey and Kurland 2012). From the perspective of the society and transportation, it is the change with respect to location that is relevant instead of the utilization of ICT.
In the current era of globalization, there are a number of companies that have been offering the options of telework and there has been an increase in a number of sectors of the economy having jobs to work in a remote manner. However, this particular system seems to be concentrated towards and highly reliable on several devices of technology such as computers as well as telephones (Alizadeh 2009). Even though this particular system bring flexibility and autonomy in the management of work that can result in increasing the level of satisfaction and productivity amongst the work force, it also contributes in presenting two main challenges. These challenges are difficulty being faced in the separation of home lives and work lives, and the feelings of being socially isolated. The employees who have been working from homes may end up facing difficulties in the creation of clear demarcation amongst personal time and work time. Since the capability and ability of working can end up becoming ubiquitous, at times, teleworkers can end up finding themselves to work overtime later as per the preferences of their own time and wherever they want (Andersen 2009). These challenges are from the perspective of the employees.
Irrespective of a number of advantages for the organization, teleworking also contributes in presenting challenges for the company. The most basic one for a number of organizations is the perceived difficulty in order to monitor the performance of employees and to measure the productivity of the employees. Teleworking can end up becoming an unsettling arrangement of work that results in bringing an unproductive and unwelcome change within the company.

Ethical Factors

Taking into consideration the ethical hierarchy of an organization, informal form of teleworking only needs the permission of the supervisor, whereas the efforts for formal form of teleworking needs careful decisions and programming taken at the levels of management. Considering in an ethical manner, the adoption of teleworking should be done as a source for the benefits of the employees (Bailey and Kurland 2012). The interest of employees within the adoption of teleworking is supposed to be high. Telework is a term of umbrella for the utilization of technology related to communications and information for the performance of work by the maintenance of distance and thus, there is an inclusion of workers who are self- employed, contractual, and salaried, along with after- hour’s activity of work with the help of the commuters.

Case study: Telstra Corporation Ltd

Social Factors

Socio- demographic factors like gender and age seem to be influencing the adoption of teleworking, specifically when it comes to showing preference towards teleworking. With an increase in age, it can be stated that there is an increase in the chances that a person prefers the adoption of telework less (Boris and Daniels 2009). Organizations using high technology, however, does not seem to be revealing significant differentials of age amongst those who practice telework and the ones who do not do so.

Economic Factors

Parents who are employed may be valuing the effects of saving time with the help of teleworking. It has been revealed that a number of individuals in households have been running out of time and this population of households have been increasing as more value is being given for being involved with their children for a longer duration of hours (Cooke 2011). Any explanation related to telework has to be differentiated amongst the different categories of work and new patterns of work, and the changes related to location that have been introduced by the technologies of information and communication. From the perspective of the society and transportation, it is the change with respect to location that is relevant instead of the utilization of ICT.

Conclusion and Recommendation

There is no denial in the fact that the new technologies of knowledge and information have assisted to co- exist in the current era of globalization, where there are a number of different barriers and challenges related to time and distance involved (Craglia and Schweikart 2010). These seems to be creating and disappearing the environments of collaboration for developing appropriate outcomes that are highly beneficial for those who have the capability of properly utilizing the key advantages and benefits involved. In addition to this, the sharing of opportunities should be done and should be having a restricted level of accessing the degree of interacting and utilizing the key purpose involved.
The technology of telework seems to be appearing as an appropriate opportunity of being conciliated amongst the world of technology, information and knowledge, along with the vision being followed by the new economy for the organizations and the businesses. This can be considered as a rationale for utilizing the technologies within the services being involved for generating the outcomes (DBCDE 2010). Based on the research that has been conducted, it can be stated that there has been wide assumption in the fact that there are a number of environmental advantages from utilizing the services and products of telecommunications. In the typical sense that has been found by this research, these particular benefits create a focus on reducing the travelling of commuters that results in the environmental advantage like reduction in the emissions of green- house gases and the congestion of traffic as well (Ellen and Hempstead 2012). In addition to this, there is a need for including a minimum of three basic elements in the implementation of teleworking. These include technology, distance and work.
Apart from these, dependent upon the way in which the organization of Telstra can successfully be approximating the definition, the organization must be having a point of consideration in a way to look for conjunction of these particular elements in the process to conceptualize teleworking. However, deploying the experience of teleworking is a matter of knowledge in context with a number of factors, diagnosis, models, and variables for being applied in order to be successful in the achievement of sustainable and adequate range of results that are favourable for the significant stakeholders involved (Haddon 2009). These should not only be highlighting the direct relationship with employment that is employer to worker and employer to business. In addition to this, there is a need for considering the relationship with the environment as well, being the components that are most prominent for the promotion of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
In consideration with the most important step, it is important for recognizing that in order to implement a positive experience of teleworking, there is a need to involve and consider a number of different factors amongst which, one can be highlighting the basic points in relation with the organization of Telstra. This means that there is a need to involve sources and activities such as work atmosphere, framework of law, Tele- subordination, monitoring, investment and deployment (Alizadeh 2009). In addition to this, the factors of technology should be considered that includes presentation of outcomes, accessing the internal form of networks, accessibility of internet, different types of control, security, and responsibility related to the information, logistics and resources.
Irrespective of a number of advantages for the organization, teleworking also contributes in presenting challenges for the company. The most basic one for a number of organizations is the perceived difficulty in order to monitor the performance of employees and to measure the productivity of the employees. Teleworking can end up becoming an unsettling arrangement of work that results in bringing an unproductive and unwelcome change within the company. 

References

Alizadeh, T. 2009, “Towards efficient regulatory environment for home-based telework in the digital age,” Paper presented at the Housing Researchers Conference, Sydney, Australia.

Alizadeh, T. 2009, “Urban design in the digital age: A literature review of telework and wired communities,” Journal of Urbanism, 2(3), pp. 195-213.

Andersen, B. 2009, “Knowledge and innovation in the new service economy,” Cheltenham: Edward Elgar.

Bailey, DE and Kurland, NB. 2012, “A review of telework research: Findings, new directions, and lessons for the study of modern work,” Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(4), pp. 383-400.

Boris, E and Daniels, CR. 2009, “Homework: Historical and contemporary perspectives on paid labour at home,” Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Cooke, P. 2011, “Regional innovation systems, clusters, and the knowledge economy,” Industrial and Corporate Change, 10(4), pp. 945–974.

Craglia, M and Schweikart, J. 2010, “Towards the development of quality of life indicators in the ‘digital’ city’,” Environment and Planning B: Planning and Design, 31(1), pp. 51-64.

DBCDE. 2010, “National broadband network, overview,” Communications and the Digital Economy, Canberra: Department of Broadband.

Ellen, IG and Hempstead, K. 2012, “Telecommuting and the demand for urban living: A preliminary look at white-collar workers,” Urban Studies, 39(4), pp. 749-766.

Haddon, L. 2009, “The experience of teleworking: A view from the home,” In P. J. Jackson & J. M. Van Der Wielen (Eds.), Teleworking: International perspectives: From telecommuting to the virtual organisation, London: Routledge.