What does telework mean?
Telework is the practice of doing paid work away from an employer's main workplace, usually from home and with the help of telephone, internet, or other communications technology. Used as a noun, it names an arrangement or mode of working; used as a verb, it describes the action itself. Although “telework” is often equated with working from home, it can also include other remote locations. In workplace discussion, the term is usually neutral, while its implications vary: employers may emphasize flexibility and lower commuting costs, while employees may value autonomy or worry about isolation and blurred boundaries. The expression emerged as telephone and computer networks made employment outside the office possible on a larger scale. It is therefore both a precise modern label and a reminder that remote work is not simply a recent pandemic-era practice.
The practice or arrangement of performing paid work remotely, usually from home rather than at an employer's main workplace.
"Telework has become a standard option in many professional workplaces."
Often treated as an uncountable noun when referring to the practice generally; the countable plural “teleworks” is uncommon.
To perform one's work remotely, usually from home.
"Several employees telework from different cities."
Common in British and American workplace English; the third-person singular form is “teleworks.”
Rare and uncommon. “Telework” is normally uncountable when referring to the general practice, though the plural can denote distinct remote-work arrangements or assignments.
"The report compares teleworks conducted across several countries."
Telework put the home office in the job description long before video calls made remote work feel routine.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does telework come from?
Telework is a 20th-century compound formed from the combining form tele-, ultimately from Greek tēle, meaning “far” or “at a distance,” and the English word work. It developed alongside the growth of telephone and early computer communications as a label for paid work carried out away from an employer's premises. Words such as telephone, telegraph, television, and telescope are also built on the same distance-related combining form.
Related word forms
How telework is actually used
Neutral and standard in general and workplace English, especially in employment, policy, and workplace discussions. Its connotations depend on context: it may suggest flexibility and reduced commuting, but it can also raise concerns about isolation or blurred boundaries between work and home.
Easily confused with telework
Telecommuting emphasizes the practice of commuting to work remotely, whereas telework can name the work itself, the employment arrangement, or the act of working remotely.