You might never need to set foot in the office again. Email, the Internet and computer modems now dominate the information age. Even telephonists could find themselves among the increasing army of employees conducting their work from the comfort of home.

Hewlett-Packard Ireland Sales has introduced a programme allowing up to 40 per cent of the 100-strong staff at its Blackrock, Co Dublin offices to work from home or other non-office locations.

Among those who have already signed up for the remote access scheme is the managing director, Mr Brian Kennan.

"I hope that it gives employees more choice and more flexibility. It makes us an employer of choice and should help us retain people and keep them happier," says Mr Kennan.

The cost of the scheme is surprisingly minimal. Sales and engineering staff are already provided with laptop PCs (HP Omnibrook 800 Series or 5500 Series with modem) and connection to the central server is achieved in three ways: connecting the laptop PC to a mobile GSM telephone; plugging the PC into an ordinary telephone line or installing a dedicated ISDN line between head office and the home of the individual.

Employees working out of the office are given a security card, known as a smart card, which enables them to log on to the central server.

Security is paramount and the password-protected cards can be used only by the owner. As Hewlett-Packard uses a common operating environment, anyone accessing the Irish operation is in effect logging on to its global network.

A number of factors influenced the decision by Hewlett-Packard to introduce the programme. Rising staff numbers were putting a strain on space at the Blackrock offices.

The amount of time being lost by travelling, however, was a particular cause of concern for the company and served to highlight further the disadvantages of an office-bound workforce.

Mr Kennan believes the scheme will take away much of the stress of modern working and ensure more flexible lifestyles.

"I can get home and spend time with the kids after dinner. If I haven't finished my work I can log back on to the system again later. I would rather spend two hours working in the evening after seeing the kids, than missing them altogether," he says.

"This is not about the company getting a return on these modems. It is about giving people more choice."

Clearly, home-working does not suit every employee. HewlettPackard has established an inkjet manufacturing facility in Leixlip, Co Kildare, which will create 3,000 jobs by the year 2001.

Although the technology is available for this facility, the remote access programme is more relevant for its sales and services division in Blackrock.

"As a general rule, people can't work from home in the same way. But the last thing we want to see is sales people sitting in the office or spending hours behind a steering wheel," says Mr Kennan.

"Their performance is measured in the percentage of their quota for the year and that is the ultimate measure of how they are doing. They can do as much from home as from the office.

"There is a seamless access to the Hewlett-Packard network. Expenses and requisites are all processed through the system. We don't want people travelling right across town to do expenses, sales structures or to look for a quotation."

The ergonomics at the company's office in Blackrock are somewhat unorthodox. It is completely open-plan and no single employee has the luxury of a private office. Instead, small windowed cubicles nicknamed "goldfish bowls" are dotted around to provide quiet when needed.

While this office lay-out prompts great communication between colleagues it can also be "very interruptive", according to Mr Kennan.

The remote access programme is therefore a logical step and interested parties are queuing up to change their work patterns.

"It is not our number one priority by far, but a glimpse at the way things are going. People are becoming somewhat more independent. Also, if you look at the traffic in Dublin, anything we can do to keep people off the roads at peak times is worthwhile," he says.

"The idea is that all sales people and engineers who are out working with customers should have remote access."

It remains to be seen how great a role home-working will play in the new millennium. Certainly, with the growth of self-employment and short-term contractual work, more people are working from home. Few companies, however, are introducing the kind of programme advocated by Hewlett-Packard.

A spokesperson for the computer company Dell, in Bray, Co Wicklow, says communication between staff in the office is an important motivating factor.

"You don't have the same peace and quiet in the office, but what you lack in that respect you have in the interaction between people," said the spokesperson.

"The trend is towards having an option to work at home, but I don't think it will ever replace the office."