Looks like telework centres are a new idea in Canada - or at the least a new spelling ;-) . Virginia Galt's article, Drive is on for telework", published in the Toronto newspaper Globe and Mail (Sept. 24, 2003) points out the benefits of a telework center over working from home (and over commuting).

"Convinced that there must be a market for a workable compromise between the distractions of home and the hazards of the highway, Mr. Cameron and George Horhota, former colleagues at BCE Emergis Inc., have designed a new business concept for Canadian commuters -- a telework centre.

With financing expected to be in place by the end of this month, Mr. Cameron and Mr. Horhota plan to start construction on their SuiteWorks telework centre in Barrie this fall. By next summer, the airy, "fully wired" warehouse-style building should be ready for occupancy, with work stations for 120 of Barrie's 30,000 commuters.

Modelled on a handful of telework centres now operating in the United States, the SuiteWorks design includes a boardroom for communal use, common eating areas and shower facilities for cyclists and joggers."

I heard from Linda Whitmer, the Director of the NetTech Center in Winchester, Virginia. Winchester's telework center has been in business since 1993, with Linda at the helm since 1996. Linda writes:

Thanks for sending this article. Very interesting! Here are some comments:

The article states that "More than half of 237 senior executives polled in a global survey reported that difficulty in monitoring the output of remote workers is the biggest obstacle to telework." It's easy to monitor the OUTPUT, it's not as easy to monitor the everyday activities of the employee. Those managers that reported difficulty may not be differentiating between the two. If they're truly having difficulty monitoring output, then they need to develop better performance measures.  More likely, however, they need to quit relying on eyeball management and master the skills required to manage by results.

I loved the statistics on employee retention! I don't think I've seen it put that way before.

'The survey, by Drake Beam Morin-Canada Inc., a division of Toronto-based Thomson Corp., found that recruitment and retention will be the biggest challenges facing employers 10 years from now , and that lifestyle will be the top employee issue in 2013. ... In Barrie, in addition to extolling the environmental benefits of taking cars off the highway, Mr. Cameron and Mr. Horhota are pitching their telework centre as an employee retention tool that will allow employers to "retain top performers while expanding your recruiting footprint."' 

As Linda summarized, "Welcome aboard, Canada!"

related link: Telework Centers: An Analysis of the Physical and Economic Factors which Contribute to their Success, a 1998 research report on Telework Centers and Office Suites by Sharon Tepper of Harvard University, sponsored by CoreNet Global.

10:39:21 AM    
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