The pandemic and the lockdown might give the impression that the world has stopped. And yet, the world is still working. Teleworking to be more precise.
It derives from the prefix tele-, a descendant of the Greek tele, meaning “far off,” and the verb “work” from the Old English word wyrcan.
Telework, teleworking, working from home, mobile work, remote work, and flexible workplace, means working from home or remotely using modern technology and telecommunications to remain in touch with your employer or business. Teleworking allows individuals to work either at home, a local café with WiFi, or at a local telework centre for one or more days each week, or full time.
Somebody who teleworks is a teleworker. The teleworker uses communication tools to carry out work duties from a remote location. Since the advent of Internet, the percentage of employees who telework permanently of part-time has increased significantly. But of course, that was before the pandemic we are currently experiencing. The drastic measures taken by the governments all over the world and the social distance we have to respect have left us no choice but to telework for those whose jobs allows it.
In the U.S., interest in teleworking spiked following the events of 9/11 and the anthrax attacks that soon followed, which forced several key government offices to close. Many workplaces in Christchurch, New Zealand transitioned to telework after worksites closed during a series of earthquakes between 2010 and 2012. So, telework seems to be an essential component to continue to work during disasters.
We are experiencing an era of social distancing, but we have never been more at home with each other. Since offices, train stations, schools, cafés, and other neutral meeting places have disappeared, everything is being done at home, and people who would never normally have set foot in our homes are now with us every day.
Here at TermCoord, we also have transitioned to teleworking and we created a video to show you how it’s done:
IATE goes AUDIO
Did you notice the new logo on the top right of the banner? TermCoord is launching a new initiative by releasing short audio recordings in plain language to make IATE terms understandable to a wider public. Our first IATE goes AUDIO feature is on teleworking, explained in French. Click on the recording below to listen!
Text and audio recording by Eva Gozlan. She is currently validating her Master’s degree in Translation and International Communication at ISIT School.