Telework is the consequence of a number of global trends:

- the development of the information economy and information technologies

- urban traffic congestion resulting from increases in car use and commute distances

- increasing concern about diminishing environmental quality.

We have entered the information age. Yet, we are behaving as if we were still in the midst of the industrial revolution. In particular, we still act as if it is necessary for workers to travel significant distances from home to work in order to work successfully. In Vienna, this fact is graphically demonstrated. Highly centralized Vienna is faced with the problem of including workers who live across the Danube from the central city. Cross-Danube road and rail accessibility is extremely limited and there is little prospect for early resolution of this problem by traditional means - roads and railways simply take too long to build. Therefore, the industrial revolution approach is not possible for all the workers on the Northeast side. Telework - the substitution of telecommunications and (possibly) computers for work-related travel- can be a major tool for resolving this dilemma. The contemporary workforce comprises about 60% information workers, about 80% of whom (half the workforce) could be teleworking, given today's levels of technology. Information workers are people whose work is primarily information-oriented - they work with information and/or information devices rather than with things (shovels, hoes, lathes, hamburgers, etc.). Because of information technology, many aspects of information work have become location-independent - it basically does not matter where the worker is physically located when the work is performed. There are two primary forms of telework: work performed at home and work done at a telework center: an office location closer to home than the company's office in central Vienna (or New York, London, Madrid, etc.). Because few existing homes in Vienna have space for office equipment, telework centers appear to be the most reasonable choice for telework in the near term.

There are three main types of telework centers:

1. single-employer satellite offices;
2. medium to large multi-employer regional telework centers;
3. small, multi-employer neighborhood centers.

So far, the most successful telework centers in the US are satellite offices and regional telework centers (neighborhood centers are just now being tested). Telework repeatedly has been proven to be a benefit to employers, employees and to their communities. It is one of those rare cases where every major group concerned seems to gain a positive result from adopting telework. Our experience in the U.S. is that employers get a net annual benefit of from $6,000 to more than $12,000 per teleworker, once the program is in place. Teleworkers have financial benefits as well, but their most important benefit is psychological: decreased stress, improved family relations, and a feeling of being more in control of their lives. The community receives the benefits of reduced air pollution, decreased traffic congestion and greater citizen participation in community activities, including education. All of these benefits are possible if both government and business combine to begin testing and implementation of this exciting new possibility for Vienna's future.