Mostly, you will know, the name of the game in e-government has been electronic service delivery -- citizens (or clients, or customers, if you're inclined that way) connecting with government in the interests of transactions or information or both.

Indeed, the focus on ESD -- basically an external phenom -- has been such that it's obscured another side of e-government -- internal. The wired (and increasingly wireless) world has been revolutionizing the public sector workplace. From HR to payroll to planning to classification and well beyond, it's a new world out there. (Okay, in there).

And there's more to it than changes to structure and process, however sweeping some of those may be. It's even changing the location of the workplace, by making telecommuting ever more viable.

To wit: A recent study found that 43 per cent of U.S. government employees sometimes telecommute instead of heading into the office. That's up from 19 per cent just a year ago.

And it's no accident: The survey, released by IT vendor CDW Government Inc. found that 28 per cent of federal IT workers said they believe that their agency provides IT support to all eligible teleworkers -- up from just 5 per cent in 2005.

No word yet on what this is doing to, say, cable TV viewing habits. But make no mistake: This may be a U.S. study, and it may be weighed down a bit by such niceties as sample size. But it's the real thing. Don't take my word for it; check out http://www.intergovworld.com/article/d16f37980a01040800f0541d2c4ff12f/pg1.htm.