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The EMERGENCE approach

The EMERGENCE project defines eWork as information-based work carried out ‘remotely’, ie away from the employer’s premises and delivered over a telecommunications link regardless of whether this is carried out on office-type premises or elsewhere, or whether it is carried out by employees of the organisation or outsourced. In all, nine different categories of eWork are identified (Huws, O’Regan, 2001).

1. fully home-based working by employees (ie work carried out from a home base by employees who do not have a workstation on the employer’s premises)

2. multi-locational or nomadic working by employees (including alternating between the employer’s office, the home and other locations)

3. freelance work carried out away from the premises

4. remote work carried out in remote ‘in-house’ (internally owned) back offices, including call centres

5. work carried out in by employees in telecottages or other remote third-party premises, including call centres

6. work outsourced to business service suppliers, including call centres

The definition of ‘remoteness’ used in EMERGENCE varies according to the type of eWork. Where individual forms of eWork (telehomeworking and multilocational working) are involved, ‘remote’ means any location away from the employer’s premises. Where eWorking is undertaken by groups in office-based forms (such as a remote back office or an outsourced supplier), then ‘remote’ is defined as being outside the NUTS 1 region where the establishment is located. The latter includes relocation across national borders. Although the evidence from EMERGENCE clearly shows that most eWork relocation is relatively short distance (certainly within NUTS 1 regions), the project used this definition of remoteness for its research on office-based eWork in order to minimise the effects of geographic proximity between source and destination locations by focusing firmly on telemediated work in which a clear role of ICT can be shown.

The EMERGENCE research covered seven main generic business functions which lend themselves to eWork because they are information-intensive and involve content which may be digitised and communicated from a remote site by a telecommunications link.

1. sales (telemarketing and mobile sales)

2. customer service, including providing information, counselling and advice

3. data processing, typing and other forms of data input

4. creative functions, including design, editorial and other forms of creative or content-generating work as well as research and development

5. software development, maintenance and support

6. accounting, debt collection and other financial services

7. management functions, including human resources management and training.

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© 2002, Institute for Employment Studies