From survey to real figures: how to identify and count teleworkers in a country by Joanne H. Pratt, Panelist, eWork in Europe, 9th European Assembly on Telework, September 25-27, 2002, Paris, France.

Abstract
Counting telecommuters is challenging. Not only does “telecommuting” lack an agreed-upon definition, but also the term is being replaced by “teleworking.” In United States the initial motivation for working at home is reflected in the name telecommuting which was coined in the late 70’s during a time of energy shortages. Government encouragement of telework remains focused on commuting trip reduction both to improve air quality and to mitigate traffic congestion. Private industry, however, has been more concerned about using teleworking to attract skilled workers in a competitive labor market. 

The “piggybacking” strategy developed by the author helps overcome definitional problems by phrasing questions in terms of measurable variables such as the place of work and the time in days and hours spent at each location. Definitions can be applied at the point of analysis rather than in the survey instrument. 

Using the piggybacking strategy, over the past years one or more travel-related questions was added to more than seven federal surveys including the U. S. labor force survey. The speaker will illustrate how surveys piggybacked with work-at-home questions can be used to enlarge understanding of the phenomenon called telework. 

Evolving equipment has enabled workers to increase their mobility. Having an office on their bodies, people can work anywhere, not only at home, but also at their employer’s satellite offices, customers’ locations and while traveling. In the EU-funded project, STILE, we are applying the piggybacking strategy to monitor all locations for “e-work,” that is, work enabled by ICT.



Telecommunications and Telework: Transformations that have Changed the Ways We Work and Live by Joanne H. Pratt. Keynote Speech, WWWe - The World, the Workplace, and We, the Workers conference, 16-17 April 2002, Brussels, Belgium

Abstract
Theoretically, technology, and telecommunications have enabled people to work and live any place. Home is the workplace that has received the most attention. Home offices equipped with technology and broadband connectivity make work at home feasible and attractive. 

Work-at-home data is available from questions “piggybacked” onto the Current Population Survey, which monitors employment in the United States. Findings from the 2001 survey reveal that the amount of time worked at home is limited by the worker’s job classification, industry and occupation. Increasing the current level of working at home requires either that teleworkers must increase their number of days at home or more people need to begin teleworking. 

Self-employed individuals are less constrained than employees in being able to take advantage of new opportunities. Self-employed entrepreneurs are the innovators in using telecommunications and technology to work and live in places they prefer. They use the Internet to market niche products, reach distant customers and add value to the products and services they offer.

Technology is essential for most workers. However, technology may promote more mobility to extent that home is just a touch down workplace. As technology becomes miniaturized the core tool for work becomes part of the worker’s body. When so many tasks are conducted via communications, there is less reason to confine work to the corporate office.