ABSTRACT
Massey identifies a second group in this uneven picture: those who, like the workers in the tele-mediated back offices in less developed countries, communicate a great deal but have no control over this communication. In the last chapter we noted the decentralising logic where routine back-office functions and teleworking are moving from high-cost, big-city locations. This trend is being encouraged as a way of bringing much-needed employment to disadvantaged urban neighbourhoods. Outside of the large-scale back offices, though, there are dangers of ‘telecommuters’ being isolated and easy to exploit in their own homes. There is also increasing evidence that the patterns of teleworking are developing to reflect the wider polarisation of labour markets underpinned by economic restructuring, with a highly contrasting work experience at different ends of the social hierarchy. Those at the upper end of the teleworking experience-those in control-tend to be men, while those at the lower end-those who are being controlled-tend to be women. These trends tend to mean that the potential telematics may offer for positive employment shifts towards flexibility and overcoming the isolation of being disabled or housebound tends not to be realised. Zimmerman, for example, argues that:
Telecommuting promises two very different types of work experiences for those at the upper
and lower ends of the occupational scale: data entry clerks and secretaries will handle routine
tasks under continuous computer scrutiny of their performance and hours, while professionals
will have discretionary hours and unrestricted freedom to use computers for personal tasks
such as home accounting and database access.
