Well it looks as though the U.S. Labor Day holiday has raised thoughts of the way we "labor", and not just on this side of the ocean. In the U.K., it's "Work-Life Balance Week". 

Here's the round up:

• Telecommuting urged to help improve St. Louis air quality St. Louis Business Journal, MO (Aug 25, 2003). A very short piece, but it's nice to see that telework is being actively recognized for its ability to reduce pollution.
  
  
• Goodbye Rat Race... Hello Teleworking By Claire Donnelly, Mirror Sep 2 2003 8:26AM GMT, takes A look at telework from a UK perspective, where a three-hour round commute isn't unusual in London. "New figures show that 2.2 million of us - one of the highest numbers in Europe - have given up the nine-to-five grind."  The article credits telework's increased use to the availability of broadband and low cost of technology, including WiFi and video. Alan Denbigh, executive director of the Telework Association says "[Videoconferencing] is a great psychological breakthrough for bosses because it allays their fear about losing control of staff when they work from home."
  
  
• Working from home can cut your travel stress Kilmarnock Standard (Sep 1 2003) reports that according to research from Halifax General Insurance, in the U.K., where workers suffer with the longest commute time in Europe (45 minutes, on average), the "so-called 3 Day Commuters are now commonplace." 
  
  
• Health and safety code for working at home Guardian Unlimited (Sep 1 2003) explores the new health and safety code for U.K. teleworkers that covers much more than just health and safety. Topics mentioned in the article span the gamut of teleworker concerns, such as tax implications, recruitment, training, career progression, and dealing with isolation. The government estimates that these new employment rights could encourage an additional 400,000 people a year to telework. The TUC general secretary, Brendan Barber, sees the new Telework Guidance code as a way to "improves job quality, not just a cheap option for employers."

"With technology enabling 2.2 million people to work away from employers' premises, the government, unions and businesses have come together to promote flexible working. The new charter, Telework Guidance, released to coincide with Work-Life Balance Week, is to ensure that the latest EU employment regulations give protection to those out of the office. " 

3:43:12 PM    
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