Back to homeworking by JANE WILKINSON

ork patterns are a reflection W of our society. Tec~ological and social developments have

an impact on working methods and our expectations from work. The survival of companies and industries depends on a correct assessment of social trends and changing values, as well as the ability to adapt to new technology.

The reappraisal of women’s role in our society, initiated by women, has already provoked many improve- ments in working conditions. The debate continues, and there is much scope for new ideas and changes to established working methods. The changes will profit not only women but society as a whole. Working women are not new phenomena; but for many women, the pressure of home commitments makes it difficult for them to go out to work. Unless other ways of working are made available a considerable resource is lost.

Historical development

Although the centralized office or

Abstract: The trend towards homeworking is a return to the working methods of the days before the industrial revolution. It benelfts those who would othetwise be unable to werk, es~~liy women, and it benefits epics as a larger w~kf~ce is flow available to them. Several companies in the computer indusny have been using hameworkers for programming and technical writing. Homewor king does not suit those who enjoy the social contact of the office environment.

Keywords: data processing, personnel management, iabour.

Jane Wilkinson is group personnel and training manager for F International.

factory, with 9-5 working hours, is assumed to be the natural work pat- tern, it is in fact a relatively recent development. Centralized work, in- dustrial towns and commuting work- ers date from the industrial revolu- tion. Before this, as little as 150 years ago, the established workplace was the home. The skilled craftsman’s home was also his workshop; the tradesman lived over or in his shop; the agricultural worker lived on the farm. Travel and communication were limited, but since the home was also the workplace, overheads were low and the craftsman could be his own boss.

The automation of machinery for many crafts changed the pattern en- tirely. The tools could no longtl be used at home and people had to go to the machines, The cost of machinery was high and could only be met by large-scale industry and employment. The decline of the selfemployed skilled worker began.

The industrial revolution inevitably led also to larger service industries e.g. banking and insurance, and the creation of the centralized office, simply to allow people to communi- cate with each other and with the quantities of information required.

Current trends

zany of the current social and tech- nological trends may produce an equally dramatic redirection in the pattern of work.

Information technology has re- moved many of the reasons for centra- lized operations. Industries where communications and access to infor- mation are vital can now operate successfully in a distributed manner. With the provision of telecommuni- cations equipment and terminal links,

people can co~~cate freely with their colleagues and access informa- tion directly from their home. The technology allows the possibility of a return to the home office, for example:

In the sales situation, videotex can be used to obtain product, price and stock level details. Orders can be entered from home at the end of the day by the salesperson. Managers can work from home with data and text files, communi- cating with colleagues via electro- nic mail systems. Secretarial work can also be carried out from home with word proces- sors and terminal links to a head office.

The cost of some of this equipment is not yet low enough for setting up distributed employee networks and coruscations nodes in many in- dustries. This problem will eventually be overcome.

Social developments have kept pace with these technological advances. People’s expectations of work have changed. In particular, women are not content to abandon their skills and chances of achievement because of their family commitments. Both men and women see work and leisure activities as being of equal importance and are not willing to accept the stress and waste of time entailed in commu- ting.

For many skilled people, home- working provides a freedom and flexi- bility in line with their expectations and needs. Women may be the prime beneficiaries of home-based working methods for the obvious reasons. But increasingly, homeworking is seen as a genuine option providing more free- dom and also more job res~nsibi~ty.

62 0011-684X/84/020062-02$03.00 0 1984 Butterworth & Co (Publishers) Ltd. data processing

policy

The importance of working with colleagues should not be underestimcated.

Homeworking in the computer industry

Not surprisingly, the computer indus- try is taking advantage of its own technology and venturing to experi- ment with home employment. Rank Xerox has introduced a scheme to make some of its employees home- based. ICL has for many years employed offsite technical authors and programmers, and has benefited from the stability of this experienced pool of resource.

F International has an almost total- ly home-based workforce. When the company was formed 21 years ago, programming fitted the skilled crafts- man profile admirably. The tools of the trade were pencil and coding sheet, and the home workshop, com- bined with occasional visits to clients, worked well. Since then, the company has expanded into other DP service areas, e.g. consultancy, design, analy- sis, development and training ser- vices, using skilled people working from home. Interestingly, program- ming technology has changed the most in that time. The centralized tools of database and processing power are essential to many program- ming tasks; access to these via a terminal is often a necessary program- mer tool.

Implications of homeworking

The implications of a return to home- based working are considerable. Ob-

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viously the reintroduction of a pool of skilled people, who could not other- wise work, into the market should be beneficial both to the industry and the

people concerned; many other changes to established organizational practices will also result.

The personnel function takes on a far greater importance. Feelings of isolation resulting from lack of con- tact can be a real problem, and must be combatted if homeworking is to be successful. The personnel department has to fill the vital link between homewor~ng employees, and far from being a central and static depart- ment, personnel people will tend to travel much more to make contact with the distributed workforce. Pro- ject reviews, formal and informal meetings between colleagues are to be encouraged, and emphasis must be placed on the two-way communica- tion of general information, memo- randa, employee and corporate news- letters.

Training is another important con- sideration. Even if recruitment is of skilled people, there is probably a need for technical training in new skills and to update established skills. Distance learning methods using home-study courses have proved satisfactory as long as these are backed up by subsequent work prac- tice.

Management training requires a different approach. A modular train- ing scheme, combining home-study

courses with short residential interac- tive sessions is one option.

A stable workforce is an advantage to the employer. Homeworkers are essentially a stable resource as long as their work is negotiable and varied.

The essence of fee-earning home- based work is the privilege of choos- ing when and how to work, and the sense of freedom and responsibility enjoyed by the worker. In a sense it is a move back to the skilled worker of pre~dustrial revolution days. The uncertainty caused by recession and technological changes in today’s world means that industry must be as lean and adaptable as possible to remain competitive. Selfemployed home-based workers are one solution to this problem.

Home vs the office

Of course not everyone wants to work from home. For some it is a luxury to escape from home and go out to work. The social value of the office environ- ment should not be underestimated. The stimulation of working with col- leagues and sharing views in a profes- sional atmosphere is an important factor in job satisfaction. Face-to-face meetings have an essential part to play in most jobs. Status factors such as size of office, secretarial aid, company car are part of the work myth and contribute to a job holder’s self- esteem.

For many people, the distractions of the centralized office and the incon- venience of commuting outweigh the real or imagined advantages of going out to work. For others, working from home is the only way in which they can use their skills.

Ideally, a mix of home and office work should be the most productive and satisfying. Given the right cir- cumstances, this mix could favour homeworking to a far greater extent than has happened in the past. cl

F International, Chesham House, Church Lane, Berkhamsted, He~fordshire HP4 2HA, UK. Tel: (04427) 75051.

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