Teleworking in Ireland: Issues and Perspectives

Abstract

Teleworking has been used since the early 1970s in some countries, but it is still relatively underdeveloped in Ireland. This study sought to establish why this is and concentrated on the implementation of teleworking arrangements from both management and teleworker perspectives in Irish organizations. This study indicates that, in the majority of cases where teleworking exists, it has been implemented in an ad hoc manner and is largely employee-driven. Teleworking is not actively encouraged and top management commitment does not exist. It seems Irish managers are not yet persuaded of the benefits inherent in the concept of telework or that they are uncertain whether the benefits are worth the risks resulting from the introduction of this new method of organizing work. This is unfortunate given the very positive experiences with teleworking reported in this study.