Telework: An effective alternative of the traditional personnel administration.

3 INTRODUCTION. The aim of this research paper is to prove and analyse some of the advantages resulting from teleworking for firms, for workers, and for all the community. Then, a report on the survey of telework population in Japan will be shown to present the status of teleworking, and estimate users both now and at the beginning of the next century. It will be useful to analyse the spread of telework in detail, since it has been implemented differently depending on the country and the technological environment. 1. TELEWORK AND FIRMS. Firms which decide to telework could gain both a higher flexibility in their organisational structures, and a cut in location and transport costs. But, for many firms telework is still difficult to implement till now. Namely, only 23% of firms in Italy has succeeded in carrying out the management for objectives (M.B.O.) as their income system, which is a necessary condition for the development of teleworking. Firstly, when firms decide to telework, they have to make considerable long-term investments but, on the other hand, they could have an increase in their productivity�s rate. In fact, the productivity curve shows that if a firm teleworks, it is luckily to have a clear rise in its output for about 15% in two or three months. But, afterwards, the productivity is bound to fall down, and keep fixed at the average level. Another advantage is the cut in costs, even if some distinctions should be made in that case. When teleworkers are firm�s employees, then, a considerable cut in costs could be difficult to achieve, since teleworkers could still have their offices in the firm�s headquarters, and the whole of the equipment for teleworking could be paid for by the firm. Therefore, the long-term investment of the firm should be offset not only by a high increase in productivity but, by some other benefits too. Moreover, if teleworkers are professionals, or self-employed workers with their own equipment for working at home or in a telecottage, there could be more benefits.