Work-no-place, just telework

The topic of today is “telework”.

Task 1

Read the text below to get the general idea:

The Internet and globalization have significantly altered not only our attitude to work, but also the way we work. Therefore, a new term has been coined to reflect the ongoing changes in company organizations throughout the world. “Telework” or “teleworking” has become mostly popular in European countries, while the term “telecomute” has been favoured more in the USA and Canada.

According to a dictionary definition, “teleworking” is a type of job, which allows employees to work either directly from home, or at a local telework center, within flexible days and working hours, by the means of advanced communication tools, such as a PC, phone, fax, modem, an email or teleconferencing solutions, in order to perform successfully work-related duties from a distant location. At the same time, “telework” enables a person to stay in touch with colleagues and maintain a contact with both customers and a central office.

Nowadays, it seems to be the preferred option not only for the companies which emphasize the modern concept of productivity or aim at improving job satisfaction, but also for those entities which are forced to cut basic maintenance costs of office support, business travel or real estate.  On the other hand, being aware of environment protection issues, they still try to contribute to the overall reduction of carbon footprint, by avoiding expensive commutes and decreasing global pollution.