Work is not a place you go to, it's something you do...

Tomorrow is the big "Work from Home Day", an initiative from Microsoft that is taking place for the second year in a row. The idea, of course, is to show how great it is to leave the office and work remotely. Today's smorgasbord of smartphones, computers and tablets, video conferencing technology and live chat programs have more or less blurred the physical boundaries of work. With modern technology, we can work almost whenever, wherever and however we want.

For us at IT&Telekomföretagen, it is a matter of course to support such an initiative. As representatives of the industry, we see it as our responsibility to promote a culture where performance is valued over physical presence. A more flexible approach to work creates personal benefits for the employee - for example, do you know how much time you would save by staying at home and working from the kitchen table for a day? Try Microsoft's "Time Saver" and find out!

But there are more benefits. By allowing ourselves to work in a new way, we will also generate major societal benefits. With a world-class infrastructure, most Swedes today have access to broadband at home. If more people chose to use this technology and work from home instead, it would also have a positive effect on the environment. The number of work trips by car would decrease and it would also have an effect on congestion in public transport. With a more flexible approach to work, businesses would also reduce their need for premises, which not only has a positive impact on costs but also reduces the need for heating.

The counter-argument is often that not everyone can actually work outside the office - some jobs require a physical presence. And that is certainly the case. It is also the case that we will need to meet and interact physically in the future. We are social creatures and it is in the meeting with others that creative ideas and new thinking often take place. But I'm convinced that more people than those who actually take advantage of remote working opportunities today could do so. According to a Novus survey, commissioned by Microsoft, three out of ten white-collar workers said they worked from home at least once a week in 2012. Good, but it could be even better.

Tomorrow is another day, and all of us who have the opportunity will take the chance to work remotely. Whether it's in the home office, at the café around the corner, at the airport waiting for the plane or on the train on the way to the physical meeting in the office. Simply to show that we can. And that we want to. And that it works.