Press Releases
JALA in Latin America
December 2002—We announced Mieres y Gorchs Asociados as our representatives for Latin America. Based in Buenos Aires, Mieres y Gorchs will be helping to develop telework programs throughout Latin America and Spain.
Argentina y Teletrabajo
3 November 2000, Buenos Aires—Jack Nilles gave a full-day seminar on Managing the Virtual Workforce to a group of executives at the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa, one of Argentina's leading business schools. The seminar covered all the main aspects of telework and the management of virtual teams. The seminar began with the fundamental global trends influencing the growth of telework, then explored the key issues in implementing telework programs, ending with a session on customizing "virtualosity" to specific organizational cultures. Nilles expects telework to grow much more rapidly in Argentina as the recent deregulation of the telecommunications industry takes effect.
The US Telework Survey
October 2000—JALA International conducted a survey of the US to gauge the trends in teleworking. Via more than 1800 telephone interviews, we found that there were 16.5 million US teleworkers in late July 2000. Of that number, 2.8 million had one year's experience or less, indicating a growth rate of 20.6 percent (assuming no dropout rate). The survey was conducted as part of the Telework America series for the International Telework Association and Council. The research was funded by AT&T. For details, visit the ITAC web site.
Telework and gas prices
March 2000—Shocked at the escalating gas prices? If you were telecommuting regularly, they wouldn't put much of a dent in your family budget. Work related travel accounts for almost half of automobile use and a similar portion of energy use and air pollution. Although maintenance, interest charges, and amortization make up a large part of the cost per mile of driving a car, gas is increasing its share, particularly if you ordinarily drive a UAV (urban attack vehicle) to work.
Our experience in the mid-1970s tells us that higher prices for gas don't have much effect on travel behavior, particularly work-related travel. What really makes the difference is a gas shortage. That will come in a decade or less. Meanwhile, you US drivers can consider the following list of gas prices in Europe, courtesy of the Energy Information Administration:
| Belgium | $3.86* |
| France | $4.06* |
| Germany | $3.77** |
| Italy | $3.93* |
| Netherlands | $4.23** |
| UK | $4.66* |
| US | $1.71** |
*leaded; **unleaded
For a quick estimate of your cost, multiply your round trip commute miles by the cost per gallon of gas, then divide by your car's mileage (mpg). For example, a day's commute of 30 miles round trip in a 20 mpg car costs $2.57 at $1.71 per gallon (but $6.99 in the UK). Feel better now?
Global study of telework
November 1999—JALA was part of a team that developed a recently completed global study of electronic commerce and telework trends (ECaTT). The study included all of the European Union member nations, Japan, the US, and ten other countries in Asia and South America (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand). We were responsible for the US and ten-country components of the study. Check our telelinks page for more
JALA part of award-winning community design team
27 May 1999—A design and plan submitted by Walter Siembab, Gnadiek/Bulmer Architecture and Planning, and JALA International won an honorable mention in the New Growth Category of the international "Housing the Next 10 Million" competition. The focus of the competition was to present viable and workable housing solutions for the 10 million new residents expected to move to California's Central Valley in coming decades. More than 250 entrants registered for the competition, representing five different continents, 17 countries, and 26 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Nearly half the entries were submitted by people residing outside the U.S.
While the great majority of the entries focused on architectural issues, the unique contribution of the Siembab team, of which JALA was a member, explored the alternative community design possibilities enabled by information technology. The team based its efforts on projections of the growth of the information workforce over the next decades, the location independence of telework, the ability to provide a wide variety of community and regional services over the Internet, and the resulting possibilities for new human-scale community designs. The focus of the design was on livable communities that avoid urban sprawl by intelligent uses of the information infrastructure.
Nilles inducted into Hall of Fame
Twenty-five years of pioneering work in the development of telework
27 October 1998 —The International Telework Association and Council (ITAC), at its annual awards luncheon, inducted Jack Nilles as the first member of its Telework Hall of Fame. Nilles was cited for his 25 years of leadership in research and development of successful telework programs since 1973, when he coined the words telework and telecommuting. His acceptance address was titled: "Telework: the First 50 Years." In it he explored the major societal, environmental, and technological trends that make the growth of telework inevitable.
Nilles commended for service to Los Angeles
Contributions to lifestyles, the environment, and business
October 21 1997—Today the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors presented Jack Nilles, the President of JALA International, with a commendation for his "dedicated service to the affairs of the community and for the civic pride demonstrated by numerous contributions for the benefit of all the citizens of Los Angeles County." Supervisor Michael Antonovich lauded "the father of telecommuting" for his many years of effort in reducing traffic congestion, improving business operations, reducing air pollution and enhancing the lifestyles of Angelenos. Antonovich noted that telecommuting by the county government's more than 5,000 telecommuters is saving $18 million annually in increased productivity and reduced operating costs.
Nilles also accepted a plaque on behalf of ITAC, the International Telework Association, and Telecommute America '97. The plaque reads: "The County of Los Angeles proudly joins the International Telework Association, its national partners and national/local sponsors in celebrating Telecommute America '97 week. As a major promoter of telecommuting, the County Board of Supervisors hereby commends the Telecommute America '97 team for its efforts to raise national awareness of the employer-employee benefits of telecommuting."
Telecommuter Prevails
Disabled would-be telecommuter wins suit against employer
6 June 1997—Jack Nilles, President of JALA International,
was an expert witness for the plaintiff in the San Francisco Federal Court
case: Faircloth versus Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART). Michael
Faircloth, a labor relations arbitrator for BART is partially disabled
with a back injury. He has a 100-mile round trip commute and his 5-day
per week commute was giving him severe pain. He asked BART to allow him
to telecommute at the rate of one day per week and they refused, although
he had been telecommuting informally for several weeks before he asked.
Consequently, Faircloth sued BART for accommodation under the Americans
with Disabilities Act.
Nilles reviewed a variety of records pertaining to the suit, interviewed
Faircloth, administered one of JALA's screening
questionnaires to Faircloth, then testified as to his conclusions
and recommendations. They were that Faircloth could easily telecommute
at least one day per week and that BART management needed suitable training.
On 5 June 1997, the jury found for Faircloth and awarded him $90,000 in
damages.
Another step forward for telecommuting. ...
The Future of Telecommuting in Southern California
Blowing Smog Away
15 May 1997— Jack Nilles, President of JALA International, Inc., was a co-author, with George S. Park and Walter S. Baer, of a report from RAND to the Southern California Telecommuting Partnership. The report, titled Trends and Factors Influencing Telecommuting in Southern California, assesses the key forces for change in the region, as well as the consequences of these changes on the adoption of telecommuting. JALA produced a new set of forecasts for the region, showing an expected value of about 1.8 million telecommuters, and a telecommuting-produced reduction of about 150 thousand tons of air pollutants in Southern California in the year 2000. JALA's simplified telework cost-benefit model and our analysis of various forms of organizational development are also featured in the report. RAND's report number is DRU-1465-SCTP
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Last modified:
Monday September 26, 2011.