HOME-BASED TELEWORK BY U.S. EMPLOYEES GROWS NEARLY 40% SINCE 2001

Dramatic Results From The Dieringer Research Group's American Interactive Consumer Survey Reported by ITAC

BALTIMORE - Sept. 4, 2003 - Today ITAC, the association for advancing work from anywhere, revealed significant increases in home-based telework in the United States, as uncovered by the 2003 American Interactive Consumer Survey conducted by The Dieringer Research Group. The findings are being presented by Joanne Pratt of Joanne H. Pratt Associates at ITAC's annual conference, held September 4-5 at the Radisson Lord Baltimore.

According to the survey, the number of employed Americans who work from home during business hours at least one day per month has increased by nearly 40 percent since 2001; for the self-employed, the equivalent increase is almost 18 percent. The report also found that 42 percent of the employee teleworkers work from home at least one day per week, and 22 percent of the employees work at home daily or nearly every day.

Telework refers to work independent of location. Broadly defined, anyone who works at home, at a client's office, in a satellite office or a telework center, or on the road can be considered teleworking; the Dieringer research results announced by ITAC deal exclusively with home-based telework.

"This latest research quantifies what we have believed about the growth of teleworking in America,” said Tim Kane, President of ITAC and President of Kinetic Workplace. “As ITAC’s own recent Telework America research on broadband noted, telework is coming of age, as the enabling technology, tools and training become available. We're indebted to The Dieringer Group for demonstrating the increasingly strong commitment of U.S. employers and workers to the benefits of working from anywhere."

The American Interactive Consumer Survey, which has been conducted since
1995, offers comparative chronological data on teleworkers who worked at home
during business hours at least one day per month:

• 1997 - 11.6 million employed teleworkers
• 1999 - 14.4 million employed teleworkers
• 2001 - 16.8 million employed teleworkers
• 2003 - 23.5 million employed teleworkers

Note that because some survey respondents have an employer and a side business conducted from home, the employed and self-employed numbers cannot be added together. Note also that the Dieringer figures for 2001 are not directly comparable to the research results reported in ITAC's 2001 Telework America Survey Report, made possible by the financial support of AT&T. In its 2001 research, ITAC included teleworkers who work at satellite offices, telework centers and from the road, and did not include the self-employed -- the numbers for 2001 employed home teleworkers, however, are roughly equivalent in the two reports.

In addition to the survey results, ITAC’s annual conference is exploring "The Evolution of Telework: Lessons from the Past Empowering the Future" and celebrating ITAC's tenth anniversary. Presentations offer insight into the changes in telework over the past decade and how those experiences translate into practical benefits for the future. For additional program details, please visit www.workingfromanywhere.org.

About The Dieringer Research Group
Based in Milwaukee and founded in 1974, The Dieringer Research Group is a marketing information and consulting company. The American Interactive Consumer Survey is the longest running primary research survey of U.S. Internet user and multi-channel consumer behaviors and trends.

About ITAC
On January 1, 2005, ITAC became the Telework Advisory Group for WorldatWork. Prior to this year, ITAC was the International Telework Association and Council (ITAC). As part of WorldatWork, ITAC continues its mission of advancing the growth and success of work independent of location through groundbreaking research such as this year’s Guide, an annual conference held every September and monthly e-mail communications on the latest developments in telework. Information on ITAC and its activities is available on the Web at www.workingfromanywhere.org or by telephone at 301-650-2322.