Information environment of the teleworker

M.A.The information economy, brought about by the advances in information and communications technology, has led to significant changes in the work environment. Organisations and workers must be flexible and are required to adjust quickly to demands from external and internal market forces. Employees are expected to be knowledge workers who are not only computer literate, but information literate as well. The high demand for flexibility has led to a trend that allows workers to perform their duties in locations outside of their traditional workspace. This trend has been named teleworking or telecommuting. A literature study revealed similarities and differences between the work environment of the knowledge worker and that of the teleworker. Both the teleworker and the knowledge worker are interacting in an environment that consists of individual, group and organisational processes. These processes are interrelated and none of them can be viewed in isolation. The factors that influence the knowledge worker also affect the teleworker, but the extent and focus of the influence vary. The features of the work environment of the knowledge worker and the teleworker provided the context for investigating the information environment of both. The information environment of the knowledge worker revealed certain distinct features, such as the manner in which documents and information were managed and the systems that were used. These features were compared with the information environment of the teleworker through an investigation of teleworkers in South Africa. Although very few, if any, South African organisations were involved in formal teleworking programmes, it was possible to establish certain trends through employees who had an ad hoc arrangement with their organisations. In conclusion, it was found that the information environment of the teleworker was somewhat similar to that of the knowledge worker, but certain distinctions also came to the fore. Further areas for research were also identified