How can “telecommuting” mean “to not commute or travel”?












0















Wikipedia describes that telecommuting




… is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel (e.g. by bus or car) …




If you do not commute, how can you call it "commuting?" Where is the commuting, tele- or otherwise? In fact, it's all about not commuting, right?



WP also mentions telework (makes sense) which according to it is not quite the same as "telecommuting."



Etymonline records its origins as




by 1975, as a hypothetical workplace set-up; verbal noun from telecommute. Said to have been coined by Jack Niles of USC.











share|improve this question























  • It is a tread in I.T. industry, that you are allowed to work from home during office hours. For that, you need your PC/Laptop, Internet connection, and proper network access. Some times, you have to receive and make calls on your phone. All the facilities: Internet connection, laptop, phone headset, mobile connection are either provided by your employer or you have to bear it. So, yes, we are not required to travel. Check oxford defition

    – Ubi hatt
    15 hours ago








  • 1





    OP is saying there's no tread involved :)

    – TRomano
    14 hours ago











  • Yeah, if you're staying home you're not treading, except to the bathroom and back.

    – Hot Licks
    11 hours ago






  • 2





    It just means they don't commute in the physical sense, but in the virtual (via the internet) sense. Usually they are connected via VPN to their desktop (or virtual desktop) and work as if they are there in the office.

    – Smock
    10 hours ago






  • 10





    It's like phone-sex.

    – TRomano
    9 hours ago
















0















Wikipedia describes that telecommuting




… is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel (e.g. by bus or car) …




If you do not commute, how can you call it "commuting?" Where is the commuting, tele- or otherwise? In fact, it's all about not commuting, right?



WP also mentions telework (makes sense) which according to it is not quite the same as "telecommuting."



Etymonline records its origins as




by 1975, as a hypothetical workplace set-up; verbal noun from telecommute. Said to have been coined by Jack Niles of USC.











share|improve this question























  • It is a tread in I.T. industry, that you are allowed to work from home during office hours. For that, you need your PC/Laptop, Internet connection, and proper network access. Some times, you have to receive and make calls on your phone. All the facilities: Internet connection, laptop, phone headset, mobile connection are either provided by your employer or you have to bear it. So, yes, we are not required to travel. Check oxford defition

    – Ubi hatt
    15 hours ago








  • 1





    OP is saying there's no tread involved :)

    – TRomano
    14 hours ago











  • Yeah, if you're staying home you're not treading, except to the bathroom and back.

    – Hot Licks
    11 hours ago






  • 2





    It just means they don't commute in the physical sense, but in the virtual (via the internet) sense. Usually they are connected via VPN to their desktop (or virtual desktop) and work as if they are there in the office.

    – Smock
    10 hours ago






  • 10





    It's like phone-sex.

    – TRomano
    9 hours ago














0












0








0








Wikipedia describes that telecommuting




… is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel (e.g. by bus or car) …




If you do not commute, how can you call it "commuting?" Where is the commuting, tele- or otherwise? In fact, it's all about not commuting, right?



WP also mentions telework (makes sense) which according to it is not quite the same as "telecommuting."



Etymonline records its origins as




by 1975, as a hypothetical workplace set-up; verbal noun from telecommute. Said to have been coined by Jack Niles of USC.











share|improve this question














Wikipedia describes that telecommuting




… is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute or travel (e.g. by bus or car) …




If you do not commute, how can you call it "commuting?" Where is the commuting, tele- or otherwise? In fact, it's all about not commuting, right?



WP also mentions telework (makes sense) which according to it is not quite the same as "telecommuting."



Etymonline records its origins as




by 1975, as a hypothetical workplace set-up; verbal noun from telecommute. Said to have been coined by Jack Niles of USC.








etymology terminology neologisms






share|improve this question













share|improve this question











share|improve this question




share|improve this question










asked 15 hours ago









KrisKris

32.9k641124




32.9k641124













  • It is a tread in I.T. industry, that you are allowed to work from home during office hours. For that, you need your PC/Laptop, Internet connection, and proper network access. Some times, you have to receive and make calls on your phone. All the facilities: Internet connection, laptop, phone headset, mobile connection are either provided by your employer or you have to bear it. So, yes, we are not required to travel. Check oxford defition

    – Ubi hatt
    15 hours ago








  • 1





    OP is saying there's no tread involved :)

    – TRomano
    14 hours ago











  • Yeah, if you're staying home you're not treading, except to the bathroom and back.

    – Hot Licks
    11 hours ago






  • 2





    It just means they don't commute in the physical sense, but in the virtual (via the internet) sense. Usually they are connected via VPN to their desktop (or virtual desktop) and work as if they are there in the office.

    – Smock
    10 hours ago






  • 10





    It's like phone-sex.

    – TRomano
    9 hours ago



















  • It is a tread in I.T. industry, that you are allowed to work from home during office hours. For that, you need your PC/Laptop, Internet connection, and proper network access. Some times, you have to receive and make calls on your phone. All the facilities: Internet connection, laptop, phone headset, mobile connection are either provided by your employer or you have to bear it. So, yes, we are not required to travel. Check oxford defition

    – Ubi hatt
    15 hours ago








  • 1





    OP is saying there's no tread involved :)

    – TRomano
    14 hours ago











  • Yeah, if you're staying home you're not treading, except to the bathroom and back.

    – Hot Licks
    11 hours ago






  • 2





    It just means they don't commute in the physical sense, but in the virtual (via the internet) sense. Usually they are connected via VPN to their desktop (or virtual desktop) and work as if they are there in the office.

    – Smock
    10 hours ago






  • 10





    It's like phone-sex.

    – TRomano
    9 hours ago

















It is a tread in I.T. industry, that you are allowed to work from home during office hours. For that, you need your PC/Laptop, Internet connection, and proper network access. Some times, you have to receive and make calls on your phone. All the facilities: Internet connection, laptop, phone headset, mobile connection are either provided by your employer or you have to bear it. So, yes, we are not required to travel. Check oxford defition

– Ubi hatt
15 hours ago







It is a tread in I.T. industry, that you are allowed to work from home during office hours. For that, you need your PC/Laptop, Internet connection, and proper network access. Some times, you have to receive and make calls on your phone. All the facilities: Internet connection, laptop, phone headset, mobile connection are either provided by your employer or you have to bear it. So, yes, we are not required to travel. Check oxford defition

– Ubi hatt
15 hours ago






1




1





OP is saying there's no tread involved :)

– TRomano
14 hours ago





OP is saying there's no tread involved :)

– TRomano
14 hours ago













Yeah, if you're staying home you're not treading, except to the bathroom and back.

– Hot Licks
11 hours ago





Yeah, if you're staying home you're not treading, except to the bathroom and back.

– Hot Licks
11 hours ago




2




2





It just means they don't commute in the physical sense, but in the virtual (via the internet) sense. Usually they are connected via VPN to their desktop (or virtual desktop) and work as if they are there in the office.

– Smock
10 hours ago





It just means they don't commute in the physical sense, but in the virtual (via the internet) sense. Usually they are connected via VPN to their desktop (or virtual desktop) and work as if they are there in the office.

– Smock
10 hours ago




10




10





It's like phone-sex.

– TRomano
9 hours ago





It's like phone-sex.

– TRomano
9 hours ago










7 Answers
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oldest

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21














Telecommute includes commute by way of analogy, just like the presence in telepresence, the desk in a virtual desktop and arguably, the friendship of a facebook friend.



That is, although there is no commuting in the traditional sense, some of the abstract properties still hold. For example, the person is considered to be ‘at work’, with deliverables and accountability.



Although they don’t ‘go’ to the office in the traditional sense, they still ‘go to work’ in a more abstract sense - one that carries consequences if the work assigned is left undone.






share|improve this answer
























  • That entire logic leads to telework rather.

    – Kris
    15 hours ago






  • 5





    @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

    – Lawrence
    15 hours ago






  • 2





    I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

    – Jason Bassford
    14 hours ago








  • 4





    @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

    – EldritchWarlord
    8 hours ago






  • 7





    @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

    – David Richerby
    7 hours ago



















20














It’s a portmanteau. When telecommuting you are commuting via the telecommunications network. All your "travel" is done by the internet. No internet, no work (cf no train, no work).



You’re right in that the word "telecommuting" doesn’t literally mean what it means, but it’s much nicer to say than "telecommunications commuting".






share|improve this answer



















  • 1





    @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

    – Lordology
    7 hours ago








  • 1





    @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

    – Pam
    6 hours ago



















4














The Oxford English Dictionary describes telecommuting as




The action or fact of working remotely, esp. from home, using
telecommunications technology.




Meaning that the 'commuting' is metaphorically by phone, computer, Remote Desktop Connection etc.



You shouldn't take the word 'commuting' too seriously. Telecommuting is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever.



If you don't have access to the OED, here's an M-W link & definition:




to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office







share|improve this answer


























  • "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

    – Kris
    15 hours ago











  • @Kris "humourous neologism"?

    – Lordology
    15 hours ago








  • 1





    Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

    – Kris
    15 hours ago








  • 2





    @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

    – Lordology
    14 hours ago






  • 1





    @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

    – Lordology
    7 hours ago





















3














You could look a the difference as being that teleworking can be done out of hours at the worker's convenience. For instance the teleworker could be provided with scans of paper invoices and delivery notes and be expected to enter all the information into a spreadsheet by 9:00am the next day. If they chose to do this outside the normal working day, perhaps when their children were in bed, this would not really matter so long as the deadline was met.



With telecommuting there is the expectation that the worker will be available by phone, Skype or other online conferencing facility during normal office hours regardless of their domestic circumstances. If online conferencing was involved there would, almost certainly, be a requirement to adhere to a dress code as well. The teleworker could be working in nightwear or the nude, the boss would never know.



Ultimately the telecommuter has a genuine presence in the workplace, even though that is a distance. The teleworker does not, necessarily, have such a presence.






share|improve this answer

































    1














    The issue here seems to be whether the use of a verb telecommute is a sensible way to describe the kind of working that it describes. I am surprised to be writing on this site that whether it is sensible is a question neither of grammar nor of usage. The verb is well-established in the leading dictionaries, with a more-or-less common range of definitions. That means that the lexicographers are satisfied that this word is frequently enough used in a wide enough range of contexts.



    With hindsight, it was inevitable that the internet would break many of the remaining controls on the English language. For example, it made it possible overnight to turn nouns like access into verbs, like access: and not just verbs but transitive verbs. Any such ‘rules’ were ‘policed’ by editors, lexicographers and school teachers. We now access the internet and all sorts of apps and opportunities it offers. But this phenomenon is a fact of usage.



    The verb to telecommute and its cognate noun telecommuting are fully established. I should add that there seems to me to be a subtlety about their use. I have never heard anyone saying “I am a telecommuter” or “I telecommute”. The words occur discursively, mainly in journals, books and reports related to the discourse of sociology, management, and so-called human relations.



    Actual ‘telecommuters’ (and here I have to rely on personal experience) use the term. They more often say that they ‘work from home’. Confusingly, not all people that work from home are telecommuters. Telecommuting implies a base to which you work from home. It is in essence remote working. Moreover, it is not clear that all forms of working ‘from’ home count as telecommuting. For example, for several years I ran a company with an annex office near home, visiting the main office once a week. It is not obvious whether this was a case of ‘telecommuting’ or not. Nor is it clear that by having my PA come to work at my house this would have made any difference.



    Commuting itself is a very young idea: less than a hundred years. The term ‘telecommuting’ is still a toddler. Let’s give it a chance to come of age.






    share|improve this answer


























    • On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

      – user3067860
      6 hours ago











    • "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

      – Kevin
      4 hours ago



















    0














    English is not always logical, and when it is logical, the logic isn't always what you might naively expect.



    In this case, the logic is that commuting is what's most relevant to the word. Physically commuting to work is, for most people, a disliked waste of time & resources. Working remotely eliminates the physical commute, so calling it telecommuting emphasizes the fact that it removes that waste from your life. If you called it telework... Well, you're still doing the same actual work, so it doesn't have the same connotation of advantage.






    share|improve this answer

































      0














      Commute and commuter have themselves changed meaning in the last hundred years or so; originally (and perfectly rationally) the meaning "make a single large payment to buy off future obligations" was applied to paying for your travel in advance ("There are many business men who practically divide their time between New York and Chicago, and ‘commute’ (the American term for taking season tickets)" Daily Chronicle, 1906). The phrase 'commute every day' would then have made no sense; but over time, people unfamiliar with the word assumed that if commuters were those who travelled to and from work, commute must mean 'make the journey'. If 'commute' can take on another meaning because of the perceived lack of a suitable term, why should not 'telecommute' be coined for another such lack, regardless of etymology?






      share|improve this answer























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        7 Answers
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        7 Answers
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        21














        Telecommute includes commute by way of analogy, just like the presence in telepresence, the desk in a virtual desktop and arguably, the friendship of a facebook friend.



        That is, although there is no commuting in the traditional sense, some of the abstract properties still hold. For example, the person is considered to be ‘at work’, with deliverables and accountability.



        Although they don’t ‘go’ to the office in the traditional sense, they still ‘go to work’ in a more abstract sense - one that carries consequences if the work assigned is left undone.






        share|improve this answer
























        • That entire logic leads to telework rather.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago






        • 5





          @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

          – Lawrence
          15 hours ago






        • 2





          I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

          – Jason Bassford
          14 hours ago








        • 4





          @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

          – EldritchWarlord
          8 hours ago






        • 7





          @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

          – David Richerby
          7 hours ago
















        21














        Telecommute includes commute by way of analogy, just like the presence in telepresence, the desk in a virtual desktop and arguably, the friendship of a facebook friend.



        That is, although there is no commuting in the traditional sense, some of the abstract properties still hold. For example, the person is considered to be ‘at work’, with deliverables and accountability.



        Although they don’t ‘go’ to the office in the traditional sense, they still ‘go to work’ in a more abstract sense - one that carries consequences if the work assigned is left undone.






        share|improve this answer
























        • That entire logic leads to telework rather.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago






        • 5





          @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

          – Lawrence
          15 hours ago






        • 2





          I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

          – Jason Bassford
          14 hours ago








        • 4





          @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

          – EldritchWarlord
          8 hours ago






        • 7





          @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

          – David Richerby
          7 hours ago














        21












        21








        21







        Telecommute includes commute by way of analogy, just like the presence in telepresence, the desk in a virtual desktop and arguably, the friendship of a facebook friend.



        That is, although there is no commuting in the traditional sense, some of the abstract properties still hold. For example, the person is considered to be ‘at work’, with deliverables and accountability.



        Although they don’t ‘go’ to the office in the traditional sense, they still ‘go to work’ in a more abstract sense - one that carries consequences if the work assigned is left undone.






        share|improve this answer













        Telecommute includes commute by way of analogy, just like the presence in telepresence, the desk in a virtual desktop and arguably, the friendship of a facebook friend.



        That is, although there is no commuting in the traditional sense, some of the abstract properties still hold. For example, the person is considered to be ‘at work’, with deliverables and accountability.



        Although they don’t ‘go’ to the office in the traditional sense, they still ‘go to work’ in a more abstract sense - one that carries consequences if the work assigned is left undone.







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 15 hours ago









        LawrenceLawrence

        31.5k563112




        31.5k563112













        • That entire logic leads to telework rather.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago






        • 5





          @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

          – Lawrence
          15 hours ago






        • 2





          I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

          – Jason Bassford
          14 hours ago








        • 4





          @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

          – EldritchWarlord
          8 hours ago






        • 7





          @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

          – David Richerby
          7 hours ago



















        • That entire logic leads to telework rather.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago






        • 5





          @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

          – Lawrence
          15 hours ago






        • 2





          I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

          – Jason Bassford
          14 hours ago








        • 4





          @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

          – EldritchWarlord
          8 hours ago






        • 7





          @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

          – David Richerby
          7 hours ago

















        That entire logic leads to telework rather.

        – Kris
        15 hours ago





        That entire logic leads to telework rather.

        – Kris
        15 hours ago




        5




        5





        @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

        – Lawrence
        15 hours ago





        @Kris The terms are related; it’s unsurprising that the logic is as well.

        – Lawrence
        15 hours ago




        2




        2





        I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

        – Jason Bassford
        14 hours ago







        I always assumed it meant that the data from your computer (or phone or whatever other device you use to connect to work with) commuted to the office on your behalf.

        – Jason Bassford
        14 hours ago






        4




        4





        @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

        – EldritchWarlord
        8 hours ago





        @Kris Apparently "telework" is a word though I've never heard it before and to me it sounds bizarre to mix Greco-Roman and Germanic bases. en.wiktionary.org/wiki/telework#English

        – EldritchWarlord
        8 hours ago




        7




        7





        @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

        – David Richerby
        7 hours ago





        @Kris Yes, "telework" or something like it would be a more sensible term. But "telecommute" is the word that's actually used, and meaning in English is determined by usage, not etymology.

        – David Richerby
        7 hours ago













        20














        It’s a portmanteau. When telecommuting you are commuting via the telecommunications network. All your "travel" is done by the internet. No internet, no work (cf no train, no work).



        You’re right in that the word "telecommuting" doesn’t literally mean what it means, but it’s much nicer to say than "telecommunications commuting".






        share|improve this answer



















        • 1





          @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago








        • 1





          @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

          – Pam
          6 hours ago
















        20














        It’s a portmanteau. When telecommuting you are commuting via the telecommunications network. All your "travel" is done by the internet. No internet, no work (cf no train, no work).



        You’re right in that the word "telecommuting" doesn’t literally mean what it means, but it’s much nicer to say than "telecommunications commuting".






        share|improve this answer



















        • 1





          @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago








        • 1





          @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

          – Pam
          6 hours ago














        20












        20








        20







        It’s a portmanteau. When telecommuting you are commuting via the telecommunications network. All your "travel" is done by the internet. No internet, no work (cf no train, no work).



        You’re right in that the word "telecommuting" doesn’t literally mean what it means, but it’s much nicer to say than "telecommunications commuting".






        share|improve this answer













        It’s a portmanteau. When telecommuting you are commuting via the telecommunications network. All your "travel" is done by the internet. No internet, no work (cf no train, no work).



        You’re right in that the word "telecommuting" doesn’t literally mean what it means, but it’s much nicer to say than "telecommunications commuting".







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 14 hours ago









        PamPam

        5,2591833




        5,2591833








        • 1





          @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago








        • 1





          @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

          – Pam
          6 hours ago














        • 1





          @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago








        • 1





          @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

          – Pam
          6 hours ago








        1




        1





        @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

        – Lordology
        7 hours ago







        @Pam Ach.. you're right. I mistook the comments of my answer as the comments under the OP's P.

        – Lordology
        7 hours ago






        1




        1





        @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

        – Pam
        6 hours ago





        @Lordology, phew! I know I can sometimes completely miss a subtext, happy to know I didn't in this case.

        – Pam
        6 hours ago











        4














        The Oxford English Dictionary describes telecommuting as




        The action or fact of working remotely, esp. from home, using
        telecommunications technology.




        Meaning that the 'commuting' is metaphorically by phone, computer, Remote Desktop Connection etc.



        You shouldn't take the word 'commuting' too seriously. Telecommuting is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever.



        If you don't have access to the OED, here's an M-W link & definition:




        to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office







        share|improve this answer


























        • "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

          – Kris
          15 hours ago











        • @Kris "humourous neologism"?

          – Lordology
          15 hours ago








        • 1





          Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago








        • 2





          @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

          – Lordology
          14 hours ago






        • 1





          @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago


















        4














        The Oxford English Dictionary describes telecommuting as




        The action or fact of working remotely, esp. from home, using
        telecommunications technology.




        Meaning that the 'commuting' is metaphorically by phone, computer, Remote Desktop Connection etc.



        You shouldn't take the word 'commuting' too seriously. Telecommuting is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever.



        If you don't have access to the OED, here's an M-W link & definition:




        to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office







        share|improve this answer


























        • "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

          – Kris
          15 hours ago











        • @Kris "humourous neologism"?

          – Lordology
          15 hours ago








        • 1





          Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago








        • 2





          @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

          – Lordology
          14 hours ago






        • 1





          @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago
















        4












        4








        4







        The Oxford English Dictionary describes telecommuting as




        The action or fact of working remotely, esp. from home, using
        telecommunications technology.




        Meaning that the 'commuting' is metaphorically by phone, computer, Remote Desktop Connection etc.



        You shouldn't take the word 'commuting' too seriously. Telecommuting is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever.



        If you don't have access to the OED, here's an M-W link & definition:




        to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office







        share|improve this answer















        The Oxford English Dictionary describes telecommuting as




        The action or fact of working remotely, esp. from home, using
        telecommunications technology.




        Meaning that the 'commuting' is metaphorically by phone, computer, Remote Desktop Connection etc.



        You shouldn't take the word 'commuting' too seriously. Telecommuting is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever.



        If you don't have access to the OED, here's an M-W link & definition:




        to work at home by the use of an electronic linkup with a central office








        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited 5 hours ago

























        answered 15 hours ago









        LordologyLordology

        1,370117




        1,370117













        • "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

          – Kris
          15 hours ago











        • @Kris "humourous neologism"?

          – Lordology
          15 hours ago








        • 1





          Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago








        • 2





          @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

          – Lordology
          14 hours ago






        • 1





          @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago





















        • "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

          – Kris
          15 hours ago











        • @Kris "humourous neologism"?

          – Lordology
          15 hours ago








        • 1





          Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

          – Kris
          15 hours ago








        • 2





          @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

          – Lordology
          14 hours ago






        • 1





          @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

          – Lordology
          7 hours ago



















        "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

        – Kris
        15 hours ago





        "is just one of those silly coinages that are supposed to be 'humorous' or whatever" is just the thing I am looking to formalize. Please see also: "Expression for an expression meaning what it doesn't mean" english.stackexchange.com/q/490195/14666

        – Kris
        15 hours ago













        @Kris "humourous neologism"?

        – Lordology
        15 hours ago







        @Kris "humourous neologism"?

        – Lordology
        15 hours ago






        1




        1





        Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

        – Kris
        15 hours ago







        Maybe, but only if Niles was being tongue-in-cheek. I don't know if he was.

        – Kris
        15 hours ago






        2




        2





        @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

        – Lordology
        14 hours ago





        @Kris What downvote? I didn't downvote.

        – Lordology
        14 hours ago




        1




        1





        @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

        – Lordology
        7 hours ago







        @Mitch I understand about M-W - but why Wiktionary? The OP has included the Wiktionary definition already - I am just stating that said definition may be a little off.

        – Lordology
        7 hours ago













        3














        You could look a the difference as being that teleworking can be done out of hours at the worker's convenience. For instance the teleworker could be provided with scans of paper invoices and delivery notes and be expected to enter all the information into a spreadsheet by 9:00am the next day. If they chose to do this outside the normal working day, perhaps when their children were in bed, this would not really matter so long as the deadline was met.



        With telecommuting there is the expectation that the worker will be available by phone, Skype or other online conferencing facility during normal office hours regardless of their domestic circumstances. If online conferencing was involved there would, almost certainly, be a requirement to adhere to a dress code as well. The teleworker could be working in nightwear or the nude, the boss would never know.



        Ultimately the telecommuter has a genuine presence in the workplace, even though that is a distance. The teleworker does not, necessarily, have such a presence.






        share|improve this answer






























          3














          You could look a the difference as being that teleworking can be done out of hours at the worker's convenience. For instance the teleworker could be provided with scans of paper invoices and delivery notes and be expected to enter all the information into a spreadsheet by 9:00am the next day. If they chose to do this outside the normal working day, perhaps when their children were in bed, this would not really matter so long as the deadline was met.



          With telecommuting there is the expectation that the worker will be available by phone, Skype or other online conferencing facility during normal office hours regardless of their domestic circumstances. If online conferencing was involved there would, almost certainly, be a requirement to adhere to a dress code as well. The teleworker could be working in nightwear or the nude, the boss would never know.



          Ultimately the telecommuter has a genuine presence in the workplace, even though that is a distance. The teleworker does not, necessarily, have such a presence.






          share|improve this answer




























            3












            3








            3







            You could look a the difference as being that teleworking can be done out of hours at the worker's convenience. For instance the teleworker could be provided with scans of paper invoices and delivery notes and be expected to enter all the information into a spreadsheet by 9:00am the next day. If they chose to do this outside the normal working day, perhaps when their children were in bed, this would not really matter so long as the deadline was met.



            With telecommuting there is the expectation that the worker will be available by phone, Skype or other online conferencing facility during normal office hours regardless of their domestic circumstances. If online conferencing was involved there would, almost certainly, be a requirement to adhere to a dress code as well. The teleworker could be working in nightwear or the nude, the boss would never know.



            Ultimately the telecommuter has a genuine presence in the workplace, even though that is a distance. The teleworker does not, necessarily, have such a presence.






            share|improve this answer















            You could look a the difference as being that teleworking can be done out of hours at the worker's convenience. For instance the teleworker could be provided with scans of paper invoices and delivery notes and be expected to enter all the information into a spreadsheet by 9:00am the next day. If they chose to do this outside the normal working day, perhaps when their children were in bed, this would not really matter so long as the deadline was met.



            With telecommuting there is the expectation that the worker will be available by phone, Skype or other online conferencing facility during normal office hours regardless of their domestic circumstances. If online conferencing was involved there would, almost certainly, be a requirement to adhere to a dress code as well. The teleworker could be working in nightwear or the nude, the boss would never know.



            Ultimately the telecommuter has a genuine presence in the workplace, even though that is a distance. The teleworker does not, necessarily, have such a presence.







            share|improve this answer














            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 10 hours ago

























            answered 10 hours ago









            BoldBenBoldBen

            5,985818




            5,985818























                1














                The issue here seems to be whether the use of a verb telecommute is a sensible way to describe the kind of working that it describes. I am surprised to be writing on this site that whether it is sensible is a question neither of grammar nor of usage. The verb is well-established in the leading dictionaries, with a more-or-less common range of definitions. That means that the lexicographers are satisfied that this word is frequently enough used in a wide enough range of contexts.



                With hindsight, it was inevitable that the internet would break many of the remaining controls on the English language. For example, it made it possible overnight to turn nouns like access into verbs, like access: and not just verbs but transitive verbs. Any such ‘rules’ were ‘policed’ by editors, lexicographers and school teachers. We now access the internet and all sorts of apps and opportunities it offers. But this phenomenon is a fact of usage.



                The verb to telecommute and its cognate noun telecommuting are fully established. I should add that there seems to me to be a subtlety about their use. I have never heard anyone saying “I am a telecommuter” or “I telecommute”. The words occur discursively, mainly in journals, books and reports related to the discourse of sociology, management, and so-called human relations.



                Actual ‘telecommuters’ (and here I have to rely on personal experience) use the term. They more often say that they ‘work from home’. Confusingly, not all people that work from home are telecommuters. Telecommuting implies a base to which you work from home. It is in essence remote working. Moreover, it is not clear that all forms of working ‘from’ home count as telecommuting. For example, for several years I ran a company with an annex office near home, visiting the main office once a week. It is not obvious whether this was a case of ‘telecommuting’ or not. Nor is it clear that by having my PA come to work at my house this would have made any difference.



                Commuting itself is a very young idea: less than a hundred years. The term ‘telecommuting’ is still a toddler. Let’s give it a chance to come of age.






                share|improve this answer


























                • On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

                  – user3067860
                  6 hours ago











                • "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

                  – Kevin
                  4 hours ago
















                1














                The issue here seems to be whether the use of a verb telecommute is a sensible way to describe the kind of working that it describes. I am surprised to be writing on this site that whether it is sensible is a question neither of grammar nor of usage. The verb is well-established in the leading dictionaries, with a more-or-less common range of definitions. That means that the lexicographers are satisfied that this word is frequently enough used in a wide enough range of contexts.



                With hindsight, it was inevitable that the internet would break many of the remaining controls on the English language. For example, it made it possible overnight to turn nouns like access into verbs, like access: and not just verbs but transitive verbs. Any such ‘rules’ were ‘policed’ by editors, lexicographers and school teachers. We now access the internet and all sorts of apps and opportunities it offers. But this phenomenon is a fact of usage.



                The verb to telecommute and its cognate noun telecommuting are fully established. I should add that there seems to me to be a subtlety about their use. I have never heard anyone saying “I am a telecommuter” or “I telecommute”. The words occur discursively, mainly in journals, books and reports related to the discourse of sociology, management, and so-called human relations.



                Actual ‘telecommuters’ (and here I have to rely on personal experience) use the term. They more often say that they ‘work from home’. Confusingly, not all people that work from home are telecommuters. Telecommuting implies a base to which you work from home. It is in essence remote working. Moreover, it is not clear that all forms of working ‘from’ home count as telecommuting. For example, for several years I ran a company with an annex office near home, visiting the main office once a week. It is not obvious whether this was a case of ‘telecommuting’ or not. Nor is it clear that by having my PA come to work at my house this would have made any difference.



                Commuting itself is a very young idea: less than a hundred years. The term ‘telecommuting’ is still a toddler. Let’s give it a chance to come of age.






                share|improve this answer


























                • On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

                  – user3067860
                  6 hours ago











                • "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

                  – Kevin
                  4 hours ago














                1












                1








                1







                The issue here seems to be whether the use of a verb telecommute is a sensible way to describe the kind of working that it describes. I am surprised to be writing on this site that whether it is sensible is a question neither of grammar nor of usage. The verb is well-established in the leading dictionaries, with a more-or-less common range of definitions. That means that the lexicographers are satisfied that this word is frequently enough used in a wide enough range of contexts.



                With hindsight, it was inevitable that the internet would break many of the remaining controls on the English language. For example, it made it possible overnight to turn nouns like access into verbs, like access: and not just verbs but transitive verbs. Any such ‘rules’ were ‘policed’ by editors, lexicographers and school teachers. We now access the internet and all sorts of apps and opportunities it offers. But this phenomenon is a fact of usage.



                The verb to telecommute and its cognate noun telecommuting are fully established. I should add that there seems to me to be a subtlety about their use. I have never heard anyone saying “I am a telecommuter” or “I telecommute”. The words occur discursively, mainly in journals, books and reports related to the discourse of sociology, management, and so-called human relations.



                Actual ‘telecommuters’ (and here I have to rely on personal experience) use the term. They more often say that they ‘work from home’. Confusingly, not all people that work from home are telecommuters. Telecommuting implies a base to which you work from home. It is in essence remote working. Moreover, it is not clear that all forms of working ‘from’ home count as telecommuting. For example, for several years I ran a company with an annex office near home, visiting the main office once a week. It is not obvious whether this was a case of ‘telecommuting’ or not. Nor is it clear that by having my PA come to work at my house this would have made any difference.



                Commuting itself is a very young idea: less than a hundred years. The term ‘telecommuting’ is still a toddler. Let’s give it a chance to come of age.






                share|improve this answer















                The issue here seems to be whether the use of a verb telecommute is a sensible way to describe the kind of working that it describes. I am surprised to be writing on this site that whether it is sensible is a question neither of grammar nor of usage. The verb is well-established in the leading dictionaries, with a more-or-less common range of definitions. That means that the lexicographers are satisfied that this word is frequently enough used in a wide enough range of contexts.



                With hindsight, it was inevitable that the internet would break many of the remaining controls on the English language. For example, it made it possible overnight to turn nouns like access into verbs, like access: and not just verbs but transitive verbs. Any such ‘rules’ were ‘policed’ by editors, lexicographers and school teachers. We now access the internet and all sorts of apps and opportunities it offers. But this phenomenon is a fact of usage.



                The verb to telecommute and its cognate noun telecommuting are fully established. I should add that there seems to me to be a subtlety about their use. I have never heard anyone saying “I am a telecommuter” or “I telecommute”. The words occur discursively, mainly in journals, books and reports related to the discourse of sociology, management, and so-called human relations.



                Actual ‘telecommuters’ (and here I have to rely on personal experience) use the term. They more often say that they ‘work from home’. Confusingly, not all people that work from home are telecommuters. Telecommuting implies a base to which you work from home. It is in essence remote working. Moreover, it is not clear that all forms of working ‘from’ home count as telecommuting. For example, for several years I ran a company with an annex office near home, visiting the main office once a week. It is not obvious whether this was a case of ‘telecommuting’ or not. Nor is it clear that by having my PA come to work at my house this would have made any difference.



                Commuting itself is a very young idea: less than a hundred years. The term ‘telecommuting’ is still a toddler. Let’s give it a chance to come of age.







                share|improve this answer














                share|improve this answer



                share|improve this answer








                edited 8 hours ago









                Hellion

                54.6k14109197




                54.6k14109197










                answered 9 hours ago









                TuffyTuffy

                4,0051621




                4,0051621













                • On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

                  – user3067860
                  6 hours ago











                • "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

                  – Kevin
                  4 hours ago



















                • On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

                  – user3067860
                  6 hours ago











                • "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

                  – Kevin
                  4 hours ago

















                On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

                – user3067860
                6 hours ago





                On top of that, if you are in the office and call in to a meeting in another office, you may be teleconferencing but you're neither telecommuting nor teleworking. English is wonderful.

                – user3067860
                6 hours ago













                "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

                – Kevin
                4 hours ago





                "Access" as a verb has been in use since at latest 1953, long before the internet.

                – Kevin
                4 hours ago











                0














                English is not always logical, and when it is logical, the logic isn't always what you might naively expect.



                In this case, the logic is that commuting is what's most relevant to the word. Physically commuting to work is, for most people, a disliked waste of time & resources. Working remotely eliminates the physical commute, so calling it telecommuting emphasizes the fact that it removes that waste from your life. If you called it telework... Well, you're still doing the same actual work, so it doesn't have the same connotation of advantage.






                share|improve this answer






























                  0














                  English is not always logical, and when it is logical, the logic isn't always what you might naively expect.



                  In this case, the logic is that commuting is what's most relevant to the word. Physically commuting to work is, for most people, a disliked waste of time & resources. Working remotely eliminates the physical commute, so calling it telecommuting emphasizes the fact that it removes that waste from your life. If you called it telework... Well, you're still doing the same actual work, so it doesn't have the same connotation of advantage.






                  share|improve this answer




























                    0












                    0








                    0







                    English is not always logical, and when it is logical, the logic isn't always what you might naively expect.



                    In this case, the logic is that commuting is what's most relevant to the word. Physically commuting to work is, for most people, a disliked waste of time & resources. Working remotely eliminates the physical commute, so calling it telecommuting emphasizes the fact that it removes that waste from your life. If you called it telework... Well, you're still doing the same actual work, so it doesn't have the same connotation of advantage.






                    share|improve this answer















                    English is not always logical, and when it is logical, the logic isn't always what you might naively expect.



                    In this case, the logic is that commuting is what's most relevant to the word. Physically commuting to work is, for most people, a disliked waste of time & resources. Working remotely eliminates the physical commute, so calling it telecommuting emphasizes the fact that it removes that waste from your life. If you called it telework... Well, you're still doing the same actual work, so it doesn't have the same connotation of advantage.







                    share|improve this answer














                    share|improve this answer



                    share|improve this answer








                    edited 5 hours ago

























                    answered 5 hours ago









                    jamesqfjamesqf

                    72159




                    72159























                        0














                        Commute and commuter have themselves changed meaning in the last hundred years or so; originally (and perfectly rationally) the meaning "make a single large payment to buy off future obligations" was applied to paying for your travel in advance ("There are many business men who practically divide their time between New York and Chicago, and ‘commute’ (the American term for taking season tickets)" Daily Chronicle, 1906). The phrase 'commute every day' would then have made no sense; but over time, people unfamiliar with the word assumed that if commuters were those who travelled to and from work, commute must mean 'make the journey'. If 'commute' can take on another meaning because of the perceived lack of a suitable term, why should not 'telecommute' be coined for another such lack, regardless of etymology?






                        share|improve this answer




























                          0














                          Commute and commuter have themselves changed meaning in the last hundred years or so; originally (and perfectly rationally) the meaning "make a single large payment to buy off future obligations" was applied to paying for your travel in advance ("There are many business men who practically divide their time between New York and Chicago, and ‘commute’ (the American term for taking season tickets)" Daily Chronicle, 1906). The phrase 'commute every day' would then have made no sense; but over time, people unfamiliar with the word assumed that if commuters were those who travelled to and from work, commute must mean 'make the journey'. If 'commute' can take on another meaning because of the perceived lack of a suitable term, why should not 'telecommute' be coined for another such lack, regardless of etymology?






                          share|improve this answer


























                            0












                            0








                            0







                            Commute and commuter have themselves changed meaning in the last hundred years or so; originally (and perfectly rationally) the meaning "make a single large payment to buy off future obligations" was applied to paying for your travel in advance ("There are many business men who practically divide their time between New York and Chicago, and ‘commute’ (the American term for taking season tickets)" Daily Chronicle, 1906). The phrase 'commute every day' would then have made no sense; but over time, people unfamiliar with the word assumed that if commuters were those who travelled to and from work, commute must mean 'make the journey'. If 'commute' can take on another meaning because of the perceived lack of a suitable term, why should not 'telecommute' be coined for another such lack, regardless of etymology?






                            share|improve this answer













                            Commute and commuter have themselves changed meaning in the last hundred years or so; originally (and perfectly rationally) the meaning "make a single large payment to buy off future obligations" was applied to paying for your travel in advance ("There are many business men who practically divide their time between New York and Chicago, and ‘commute’ (the American term for taking season tickets)" Daily Chronicle, 1906). The phrase 'commute every day' would then have made no sense; but over time, people unfamiliar with the word assumed that if commuters were those who travelled to and from work, commute must mean 'make the journey'. If 'commute' can take on another meaning because of the perceived lack of a suitable term, why should not 'telecommute' be coined for another such lack, regardless of etymology?







                            share|improve this answer












                            share|improve this answer



                            share|improve this answer










                            answered 2 hours ago









                            TimLymingtonTimLymington

                            32.6k875143




                            32.6k875143






























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