International Journal of
Information and Education Technology

Abstract

The introduction of Information Technology, or IT, has brought increased possibilities to work outside of the traditional office. One of these possibilities is telework. Telework refers to work carried out away from the usual place of business, often via electronic means. Despite its predicted growth, telework has not developed in the French public sector. This study uses role set analysis to assess the experiences of teleworkers at the Conseil Général du Finistère, or CGF, a regional government in Brittany, France. Role set analysis claims that the expectations of role set holders can be evaluated. In this exploratory case study, role set holders are represented by teleworkers and their non-teleworking colleagues. Open-ended questions, in questionnaires, were used gather data. The extraction of Meaning Units, or MUs, indicated perceptions. Teleworkers experienced increased difficulties using IT at a distance. Moreover, these difficulties also affected the experiences of non-teleworking colleagues. Findings suggest that IT difficulties for teleworkers produce negative effects in the office environment. Findings also point out that telework upsets French cultural traditions which emphasise face-to-face contact.