ABSTRACT
Interest in telework has many sources and involves a number of perspectives (some of which we briefly review in Haddon and Brynin, 2005). Yet running through these diverse approaches and accounts it is possible to discern two opposed discourses. An optimistic version sees the potential of new technologies to change the way we work through its ability to shift work over time and over space. This implies benefits both for the employer, who gains a productivity boost from the extra flexibility, and for employees or the self-employed, who acquire more control over their work. Set against this is a body of research that stresses social rather than technological change. The work and familial commitments of the individual place major constraints on the use of new technologies and the adoption of new working practices. Indeed, the technology might be seen as a tool to gain more output from the worker rather than being of universal benefit.
