Telework Centers – Satellite Offices

Telework centers, also known as satellite offices, offer an alternative to working in a central office facility or at home. They can be located in urban, surburban, or rural areas. They can serve a single corporate client or be multi-tenant facilities. Their distinguishing feature is that those using them live in the same area-or, in some cases, share the need for a drop-in work area while moving among work locations. Unlike a branch office, where those working together are organizationally part of a group, team, or department, individuals working in telework centers typically have minimal formal work relationships. The IWSP research program has examined:

* the design and location of telework centers/satellite offices;

* employees’ and managers’ responses to working in them;

* factors which have limited their success thus far; and

* the conditions under which they are likely to become an important component of an Integrated Workplace Strategy.