HISTORY OF TELEWORK
Decades of working remotely show how the agile employee keeps
harnessing newer technology to drive the way work gets done.
1967
The concept of flexible work schedules is introduced
in Munich, Germany, to alleviate commuting problems.
Source: “Flexible Work Arrangements,” CQPress, 1998
“Telecommute”
The term telecommute is coined by physicist Jack Nilles
who worked remotely on a NASA communication system.
1972
Source: “Jack Niles Profile,” JALA International, 2011
1978
Congress recognizes the benefits of telecommuting and “telework” makes
its way into public policy with the flexible work arrangement (FWA).
Source: “Flexible Work Arrangements,” CQPress, 1998
Teleworkers communicate via phone, fax, and courier services.
1988
Source: “Managing Teleworkers and Telecommuting Strategies,” By Gina Vega, 2003
1990
Clean Air Act Amendments make a push to reduce single-occupant
vehicles by 13%, which creates a surge in commute alternatives.
Source: “Telecommuting,” GreenBiz, 2003
9% of U.S. workers telecommute from home “somewhat regularly.”
1995
Source: “In U.S., Telecommuting for Work Climbs to 37%,” Gallup, 2015
1996
As part of the Federal Appropriations Act, agencies are authorized to use
federal funds to install phone lines and other equipment and to pay monthly
service charges of teleworker homes.
Source: Telework Enhancement Act, 2010
A flexible workplace pilot project assesses the benefits and challenges of
allowing Federal employees to work at locations other than their office.
1997
Source: “Telecommuting: A Case Study in Public Policy Approaches,” Workplace Flexibility, 2008
2000
Personal computers, the Internet and broadband make it
increasingly easy for people to work outside the office.
Source: Telecommuting: “A Case Study in Public Policy Approaches,” Georgetown University Law Center, Spring 2006
Growing pains: Managers believe remote employees are harder
to track down and workers say managers guilt-trip them.
2002
Source: “Getting the Most Out of Remote Workers,” Gallup, 2006
2004
All Federal employees are permitted to telework if they could
do so “without diminished employee performance.”
Source: “Human Capital: Key Practices to Increasing Federal Telework,” U.S. General Accounting Office, 2004
Instant Messaging is not just for kids: 70% adults are
using IM and 26% of them are adopting it for work.
2005
Source: “Understanding Workplace Instant Messaging Adoption: Use and Consequences via Social Perspectives,”
Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS), 2006
2006
Best Buy, British Telecom, Dow Chemical and more show that telecommuters are 35-40% more productive than traditional workers.
Source: “The Cost of Not Paying Attention: How Interruptions Impact Knowledge Worker Productivity,” IORG Forum, 2006
“Work” begins to be recognized as a function, not a place: More
digital technologies keep people interacting and engaged.
2010
Source: “Work on The Move,” IFMA Foundation, 2011
2011
Employees are instant messaging, emailing and Internet-calling
their way through the workday on laptops and smartphones.
Source: “Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn,” Cathy N. Davidson, 2011
Federal employees in Washington who worked from home during four
official snow days saved the government an estimated $32 million.
2013
Source: “It’s Unclearly Defined, but Telecommuting Is Fast on the Rise,” New York Times, 2014
2014
75% of workers indicated that a more digital workplace
would significantly benefit their organization.
Source: “An Interview with Avanade's CEO: Are Your Ready For The Digital Workplace?” Forbes, 2015
37% of U.S. workers periodically telecommute from home.
2015
Source: “In U.S., Telecommuting for Work Climbs to 37%,” Gallup, 2015
2016
Workers are not at their desk 50-60% of the time.
Source: “Latest Telecommuting Statistics,” Global Workplace Analytics, 2016
83% of IT workers say they can be productive regardless of location.
2016
Source: “Digital, Disparate and Disengaged: Bridging the Gap Between In-Office and Remote Workers,” Forrester Consulting on behalf of Prysm, 2016
2020 and beyond
Technology helps both remote workers and distributed
teams improve communication and collaboration.
Source: “Work from Home In 2016: The Top 100 Companies for Remote Jobs,” Forbes, 2016
By 2020, 65 million Americans—or 40% of the U.S.
workforce—will be freelancers, temps, independent
contractors and “soloprenueurs.”
Source: “Industry employment and output projections to 2020,” Bureau of Labor Services, 2012
A more modern, digital workspace
83% say it would improve collaboration
82% say it would improve productivity
79% say it would improve engagement
Fortune 1000 companies around the globe
are entirely revamping their space around
employees who’re fully mobile.
Source: “Digital, Disparate and Disengaged: Bridging the Gap Between In-Office and
Remote Workers,” Forrester Consulting on behalf of Prysm, 2016
Source: “Latest Telecommuting Statistics,” Global Workplace Analytics, 2016
Discover a better way to share.
Create your own high-performance digital workspace.
Keep attendees engaged.
Make every meeting time well spent.
Put time back in your day.
Visit: prysm.com/remote-work