One problem is that most teleworking arrangements operate under informal agreements between employers and employees.

However, the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia plans to investigate the use of teleworking as a contingency plan as part of its disaster recovery policy.

QUT's senior lecturer in information systems, Dr Neville Meyers, said the university will be looking at the necessary infrastructure required to ensure campus access for staff and students in the event of a natural or man-made disaster.

Meyers, who last year was one of the expert presenters for the Senate Advisory Committee on Telework (The Australian Telework Advisory Committee), said the only reason companies are not using such a plan is lack of awareness. But he believes all organizations should make it part of their contingency plans, because teleworking is a powerful and innovative business continuity tool.

Many managers do not think about business continuity until a disaster has occurred, Meyers said, and anecdotal evidence suggests Australian organizations are ill-prepared and ill-equipped.