The early 1990’s witnesses the rapid expension, at least in theory and academically, in the flexible working proposition. The thought being that due to the advances in technology anyone could Work From Home. Over the last ten or fifteen years the technology and the commercial reality of Internet Business has been enhanced to the extent it is now, not only possible to Work From Home but in some sectors almost required.

Back in the early 1990’s labelled their business persona’s as nomadic (normally sales) or semi-nomadic (in general management, sales and team leader positions). These job descriptions found it possible to exist between the ability to Work From Home and flexible workspace in the office or offices in which they still had a base. Higher up the management chain superior managers and executives found the ability to be effective anywhere, in particular in the case of those dealing with National and International groups and time differences.

The mid 1990’s on the other hand, saw another group of flexible worker beginning to materialise. The surge in Internet Business produced a different class. These people are not part of a corporate machine running their roles within the structure of touchdown and virtual meetings but rather what would have been a small business outlet on the main street. They are small service providers and sellers now profitable because they can work from home without the high operating cost of property.

On the back of this second tranche comes another class, those involved in online jobs. These employees and entrepreneurs essentially make their living by offering services to maintain the growing virtual market place. In doing so their contact with clients is predominantly via the electronic work media. This new business model redefines the idea of flexible working as not only can these companies be run by people who work from home they can also be staffed by people with the same working patterns.

Is this a chiefly new incidence? Or a return to the pre – industrial revolution patterns of work. Are what we now see as new age Online Jobs just a paradigm shift from the requirement to be co-located, brought about by the mechanisation of jobs and the process required for high output, to the skilfulhighly skilled, craft based model of the cottage industries.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 9th, 2009 at 1:58 am and is filed under Business and Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.