The right questions are, how do we manage the new world of work and the changing workplace, and, as a society, what must we do to ensure that telework's benefits outweigh its costs. But before we can make the choices that will lead to the best results, we must understand telework better. Telework is best suited to jobs that are information-based, portable and predictable, or that demand a high degree of privacy and concentration. Typically, teleworkers have been information workers in mid-level or senior positions, but the trend is toward teleworking at all levels of employment. By some estimates, there are between 13 and 19 million teleworkers in America today.
Some people telework full-time, but a larger number telework one or two days a week.
The federal government, with the support of Congress, has actively supported telework since 1990, but could do much more. The federal initiative has included both individuals working from home and regional telecenters where federal agencies can lease workstations for their employees. The telecenters program, begun in 1993, now includes 17 such centers in the Washington, D.C., area and others across America. One of the reports presented at the New Orleans symposium examined this federal telework initiative and found it generally effective. The federal initiative has also stressed telework as a means of expanding opportunities for workers with disabilities.