Telework means doing your normal job from an approved place other than your usual workplace, most often your home, using phones, laptops and the internet. The word dates from the 1970s, when researcher Jack Nilles described "telecommuting" as a way to replace the daily commute with telecommunications.
Today the term is used most often by governments and large employers. The US federal government defines and regulates telework through the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, while private companies more often say "remote work" or "work from home".
Telework meaning in plain English
If you have a job with a regular workplace, and you sometimes or always do that job from somewhere else with your employer's agreement, you are teleworking. The work itself does not change: only the location does.
Examples of telework
- A claims processor who works from home on Mondays and Fridays and in the office the rest of the week.
- A software developer who works from home full time for an employer based in another city.
- A federal analyst who teleworks during a snowstorm when the office is closed (often called situational telework).
- A customer service representative who handles calls from home through a company phone system.
Types of telework
- Regular or routine: a fixed schedule, for example two days a week.
- Situational or ad hoc: occasional, approved case by case.
- Full-time or remote: the employee rarely or never works at the agency or company site.
The rules
There is no single US law for private sector telework. Employers set their own policies, within normal employment law on wages, hours and safety. In the federal government, each agency must have a telework policy and a written agreement with each teleworking employee. See our federal telework guide and our telework agreement template.
How common is telework?
The Census Bureau asks how people usually got to work in the previous week. "Worked from home" is one answer. Across the 2020 to 2024 American Community Survey, roughly 15.1 percent of US workers chose it. The figure varies widely: see remote work by state and which jobs can be done remotely.
Frequently asked questions
What does telework mean?
Telework means doing your normal job from an approved location other than your usual workplace, most often your home, using phones, computers and the internet.
Is telework the same as remote work?
They overlap. Telework usually means an employee with a regular office who works away from it on some days. Remote work often means no assigned office at all. The US federal government uses the word telework.
How many Americans telework?
In the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020 to 2024, about 15.1 percent of US workers said they usually worked from home. See our state rankings for the exact figure in each state.