By Sally Watson, 9 November 1998 16:00
NEWS The increasing acceptance of teleworking by staff in the UK could turn it into a mainstream technology, according to the 1998 Motorola 'British and Technology' report released today. Mark Gee, marketing director of Internet and networking at Motorola, explained that there has been a cultural change towards teleworking n Europe over the last few years - with the majority of people now viewing it as a legitimate way of working. Over a third of respondents to the Motorola poll said they would like to work one week per month at home, and 50 per cent of bosses said they would be happy to let them do it. "I think we will see a remarkable growth in teleworking over the next few years," said Gee. "I think it will be a little while before we see it take off like it has in the US. We have different issues - the US is much bigger. But problems such as travel - with commuting getting earlier and earlier - will help to drive teleworking in the UK." He added that the most likely candidates to take up teleworking are departments with quantifiable results, such as sales, while data-heavy industry sectors like insurance will take the longest to accept the move. The report also found one in ten people in the UK regularly use personal electronic organisers and pagers, and 25 per cent of people use laptops or home PCs. A quarter of the population uses a mobile phone - with over 40 per cent of owners saying they couldn't do without it. Attitudes towards using technology in everyday life are becoming more relaxed. Over half of those questioned thought their driver's licence, ID and medical records should be kept on a smartcard. Fifty per cent would be happy to vote and bank online, and Web use has increased by 30 per cent since 1997. Mori conducted the survey for Motorola, questioning 1000 adults and 350 children in the UK.
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