Teleworking_and_distance_learning

Teleworking and distance learning

Teleworking literally means working at a distance / that is, far from the office or normal place of work / usually though not always this means working at home / but that’s not to say that everyone who works at home is a teleworker / teleworking / also called e-working or telecommuting / had come to mean specifically working at home but communicating with the office by telephone or computer link / related to teleworking is distance learning or telestudying as it can also be called / and much of what I have to say about teleworking also applies to distance learning and teaching /

There’s been a rapid increase in the number of teleworkers and telestudents over the past ten years or so / naturally this growth in the number of teleworkers affects only certain occupations / workers involved include those in the information sector especially / but also business professionals and scientists / and also teachers / in some cases people are being persuaded or even forced to become telecommuters / but often they choose to do so themselves / why do people choose to work at home? / well t here are a number of advantages for the worker / and also for the people who employ them / and for society in general /let’s look at these/

First of all what are the advantages for the worker? / I would say the main advantage is that less time is spent commuting / that is travelling to and from work / someone working in a big city like London can easily spend an hour or more travelling to work / and the same amount of time returning home / two or three hours a day can therefore be saved / and this is time that can be spent in more profitable ways than sitting in a train or car / commuting is quite stressful / and teleworking eliminates that stress / not having to travel saves not only time but also money / bus or train fares can amount to hundreds of pounds a year / motoring costs are also high / working at home can be more convenient than working in an office / work time can be scheduled to suit the worker rather than the boss / breaks can be taken as and when needed rather than according to fixed schedules / and it’s generally pleasanter working in the comfort of your own home / there’s no need to dress up and so on / the choice of a place to live no longer depends on nearness to the office / less expensive and more attractive areas far from the city now become a possibility /finally people who can’t leave home for any reason can work as telecommuters / for example those with disabilities / or the need to look after small children or elderly parents /

Recent surveys have shown that 68% of people who telecommute want o continue but / 32% want to return to central office working / why? What are the disadvantages?for one thing the worker may have to equip his home at his own expense /this means buying a computer and peripherals such as a printer and perhaps also a fax machine / heating and lighting bills are likely to be higher / and there’s also the question of insurance / these costs have to be set off against the saving from not having to travel / even if the employer pays for the equipment / home working makes a demand on space / a spare bedroom may have to be converted into an office /

More importantly perhaps someone working at home will not have the backup that can be taken for granted in an office / technical staff to troubleshoot computer problems will not be on hand for example / there’s also a loss of social support from co-workers / there may be many distractions in the home / from a partner or from young children / there’ll be many temptations to put off work in favor of more agreeable alternatives or even of domestic chores / the teleworker needs to be highly motivated / or at least extremely self-disciplined / many teleworkers are self-employed or part-time workers, and so they don’t have the advantages of full-time

employees / for example paid leave, accident and sickness cover / they may also need / they may also be paid less / in other words they’re in danger of being exploited by less scrupulous employers keen to take advantage of the situation /

So what are the advantages and disadvantages for the employer? the major advantage for the employer is saving on costs / the employer doesn’t need to provide workspace and equipment / there are savings in running costs such as rates, electricity, catering / and telecommuters in some cases receive lower payment for their work

Surveys seem to show that teleworkers are more productive than their counterparts / one study suggests that they’re 20—45% more efficient / so for a smaller outlay (开支,花费) of money an employer can obtain more product and therefore greater profits /

On the other hand, the employer can’t easily supervise what the workers are doing / he or she may feel it necessary to visit the workers at home on a regular basis / this involves time and money / an additional issue in these home visits is that worker may resent what they see as intrusion into their personal lives /

Converting to teleworking obviously requires a great deal of reorganization / lack of experience in the field means that the employer will either need to engage an expert to help in the reorganization / or risk making costly mistakes /

The move to teleworking has implications for society as a whole/ if workers no longer need to commute there’ll be less traffic on the roads and therefore fewer accidents and less pollution / since the disabled and others can now work as telecommuters there may be a reduction in unemployment / and if workers are more satisfied society as a whole will be happier / with the poss…with possible reductions in illness and crime /

Again there are possible disadvantages/ with many people working at home there may be greater consumption of electricity, gas /finally, as I’ve already pointed out / teleworking is not possible in many occupations / building workers, street cleaners, shop assistants and many others will have to continue to work outside the home / and this may lead to dissatisfaction and resentment /

Let’s now consider briefly distance learning/ in many ways it’s parallel to teleworking with the same advantages and disadvantages /

convenience is again the main advantage for the learner/ especially for those who live in remote areas / for example in the outback of Australia or the Highlands and Islands of Scotland / it also benefits those who cannot easily attend a university or college for other reasons / such as disability / telestudying also allows people to choose a course which isn’t available locally / people with a full-time job can combine work with study by doing a distance learning course / this has obvious economic benefits / in addition a distance learning course may be cheaper than a conventional one / as with teleworkers, distance students can please themselves when to do coursework and are not forced to study at fixed times /

One disadvantage is that a distance learning course usually takes longer to complete than a face-to-face course /this may lead to loss of motivation and ‘drop-out’ / or failure to finish the course / as with teleworking distractions in the home may be a problem / it can be difficult to find the quietness needed for study away from children or flatmates / television, music, conversation are all too easily available / telestudents need to be at least as highly motivated as teleworkers /

Perhaps even more so than work / learning is dependent on other people / both tutors and fellow students / feedback from tutors is

essential / and tends to work best if immediate rather than delayed / students learn from each other / not only from books and teachers / so the lack of support from tutors and students is important / so is the lack of library and other facilities /

Finally some subjects are less suitable for home study / languages for example / learning to communicate / which after all is the principal aim for most language students / demands the presence of others

If tutors on distance courses work at home they benefit in the same ways as teleworkers in general / even if they work in an office they’ll still enjoy some of the flexibility of home working/ at the same time / tutors have a managerial role / and just as managers in business / may find it difficult to supervise employees adequately / distance course organisers have to take particular care with accreditation (鉴定；认可) / the absence of face-to-face contact interferes with the giving and receiving of feedback / which is so vital to teaching and learning / printed materials need to be specially written to try to overcome this loss / although such technological aids as audio –and videoconferencing can help /it’s arguable that nothing can replace a good teacher in a classroom /

So to sum up/ many of the advantages have corresponding disadvantages and vice versa / but the drawbacks can often be overcome by careful planning /the balance of advantages and disadvantages will obviously depend on the individuals and the situations concerned / teleworking and telestudying will never completely replace conventional work and study practices / both types of work and study have their place / perhaps the ideal is to combine the two / working or studying at home / but with regular visits to the office or classroom /