On Mon, 31 Dec 2007 16:10:18 +0000, The Natural Philosopher put finger
to keyboard and typed:

Mark Goodge wrote:

You reckon it's practical for most teleworkers to have a colour
collating printer at home? How many teleworkers do you know who
actually have one?


Two to date.

Out of how many people doing that kind of work?

I've even done remote computer installations.

No, you haven't. You've done remote software installations, maybe. But
to actually install a computer itself - or fix it when the hardware
goes wrong - you need to be there where the computer is.


No, the whole *computer* was installed remotely. We sent it by courier,
and asked the customer to plug int into the phone, the network, and the
mains.

You didn't install it then. The courier and the customer, between
them, did that. Once they'd installed it, you connected to it and did
a remote installation of the software. Without at least worker
visiting the premises (the courier) and another working on the
premises (the customer), there would have been nothing for you to do.
So, in that example, there was one teleworker and two on-site workers
involved in the process.

Which is most jobs. Office work is still a minority of employment in
the UK.

I think not actually.

It bears checking, but there are precuis few 'blue collar' workers anywhere.

That depends on what you mean by "blue collar". Manufacturing jobs are
around 20% of the UK workforce, but there are a lot of jobs in the
service sector that are essentially manual jobs.

Most people who work in sales stay in one place and their customers
come to them.

I see. That's why the Ford Mondeo is the top selling car of whenever,
bought exclsuively by companies who ran fleets of them for their salesmen?

Most people who work in sales work for organisations like estate
agents and the like - small companies where customers come to you, at
least partly. Don't make the mistake of thinking that all sales people
are like the ones you work with.

Chemists

Not sure what sort odchemists tyouy men, but most copuld be online.
Don';t need to 'be there'

I mean the sort of chemists who work in pharmacies, preparing and
dispensing drugs.

Nurses
Security guards

With no offfices to guard, they aren't needed.

And no-where else needs guarding?

Shop assistants

With no retail *shops*, they aren't needed

So your plan for teleworking also involves closing all retail
premises? And you think I'm losing my grip on reality!

Bus drivers
Taxi drivers

With no need to commute or go shopping, they aren't needed either.

Ditto

Cleaners

Since yoiu are now at home, try cleaning your own house.

If I'm going to work in it, I might want to employ someone else to
clean it for me.

Teachers

Well even if they are theeir, they don't succeed in teaching, so might
as well put the while education thing online.

Another departure from reality.

Police
Firefighters
Farmers
Vets

The last are the only irreducible residues therer really are.

And yet between them they alone take you over the 15% of jobs that you
think can't be teleworked.

Mark
--
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