The following is a press release from the Newfoundland and Labrador Telework Conference held in October, 1996.
CLARENVILLE (NMI) Control the technology -- don't let it control you. Control was the major theme at Terra Firma: the Future of Business and Work, Newfoundland and Labrador's first Telework Conference. Nearly 200 people attended the hugely-successful landmark conference at the Terra Nova Park Lodge from Wednesday to Friday, Oct. 23 to 25.
The emphasis was on simplifying the tools of technology and making telework a reality. Telework means working from any location with digital tools: computers, modems and faxes. Using this information technology, or I.T., means people can live where they like as long as they're connected to employers and clients by a computer.
"It wasn't the dry litany of terms and acronyms that some people feared," says Claire Smith-Murphy, "it was a satisfying discussion of the opportunities and the pitfalls." Terra Firma was a tremendous opportunity to share concepts and solutions "still under construction." Hot topics ranged from Internet billing security to unconventional methods of getting phone companies to improve their rural switching services.
Successful strategic planning consultant John Fisher was a keynote speaker at Terra Firma. Fisher lives and works in Port Rexton, on the Bonavista Peninsula. He started teleworking in the mid-1980s, with the advent of the fax machine. Teleworking liberated Fisher from the "cloying overheads" of running a city firm. It allowed him to live the rural lifestyle he loves. It was an economics and lifestyle choice for Fisher, but he warns against victimizing forces.
Telework is a smart choice for employers: remote workers don't require the office space, and statistics show they have less distractions and produce more. Teleworkers work for less, because they save money in travel and expenses. The Canadian government saved $40 million last year with its telework initiatives. It's a wise choice for employees: they can experience the luxury of having their homes as the centre of their lives. Unfortunately, this opens up nasty situations where corporations make huge profits while teleworkers go without medical benefits and pension plans. It prompts fears about much-ballyhooed call centres, with images of low-paid workers in headsets chained to data terminals.
"Teleworking can turn solitude into servitude," warned Sian Thomas, an expatriate Welsh-Canadian working with European telework initiatives, "a highway of greed with no limits on management." Most successful modern telework starts with established skills and connections, rather than raw computing power. Optimum telework experiences start with workers in charge.
John Oullette, director of a community information technology centre in Cape Breton, told of how a local school slated for closure was transformed into a profitable venture through technology and co-operative business structure.
Ireland's Imogen Bertin, a telework broker and I.T. activist, spoke about her European successes, and gave one vital tip: don't tell prospective clients you're teleworking -- people are most concerned about the quality of services, not the advantages of your workflow.
Terra Firma symbolized the ability of Newfoundland, and specifically the Clarenville region, to take advantage of opportunities in the digital age. The message is clear: Let's go to work. Telework.
CONTACT:
Claire Smith-Murphy
e-mail: Claire_smith-murphy@porthole.entnet.nf.ca
If you have any ideas for articles, would like to submit an article or have new telework related links to add to our site please e-mail them to help@klr.com