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Telecommuting Not So Great For Those Left Behind
Telecommuting may boost morale, and cut stress, but it can have the opposite effect on those left behind in the office, according to a new study.
When a number of their co-workers toil away from the office by using computers, cell-phones or other electronic equipment, those who do not telecommute are more likely to be dissatisfied with their job and leave the company, said Timothy Golden, a management professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Telecommuting has been a growing trend in the United States since about 2000. About 37 percent of U.S.-based and international companies now offer flexible work arrangements, with the number of those programs growing at a rate of 11 percent per year, according to the Society of Human Resource Management.
“While reasons for the adverse impact on non-teleworkers are varied, it possibly is due to co-worker’s perceptions that they have decreased flexibility and a higher workload and the greater frustration that comes with coordinating in an environment with more extensive telework,” Golden said.
He added that with a greater prevalence of telecommuters in a work unit, non-telecommuters find it less personally fulfilling to do their work.
Photo by MSDesigns.
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kelly on January 17th, 2008 4:52 pm
Unfortunately, not all jobs can be done remotely. In cases where a company has a mix of jobs that can and can’t be done remotely, then the left-behind workers could be compensated in some way for having to come into work while their co-workers get to work from elsewhere. What should NOT happen is to cancel telecommuting opportunities altogether. There’s good evidence to suggest that properly-motivated remote workers are more productive, put in more hours, and are happier doing so than they would be if they were forced to come to the office just so an insecure supervisor can keep an eye on them.
Chuck Wilsker on January 17th, 2008 9:02 pm
Validity of Conclusions in Research Findings Questioned by Telework Coalition
After reviewing the Study “Telecommuting May Harm Workers Left Behind in the Office” conducted by Timothy Golden, associate professor in the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer, we question the validity of his research and quite frankly are surprised that it was released. Drawing conclusions on a study based on “a couple hundred people from a single company”, may say more about that company’s policies and procedures, or lack thereof, than teleworking. How can anyone perform a study with his only source of data being one medium size company and imply that his conclusions are valid for any other organization?
In 2006 we, The Telework Coalition, conducted a Telework Benchmarking study of 13 large organizations with mature telework programs. In it we asked about the attitudes of those employees who did not telework. Both our study and two previously conducted studies by other organizations in which there were multiple participants showed that the non teleworking coworkers were both enthusiastically supportive and felt teleworking was good for the organization, or at the least, the situation was a non issue.
In Mr. Golden’s study none of the distributed work program’s many benefits are measured, compared, or contrasted with the grumblings from ‘those left behind’. We have seen more employers concerned with transit strikes, the possibility of a bird flu pandemic, terrorism, recruiting and retention issues, rising gas prices, faltering transportation infrastructures, the environment, etc. than the negatives alluded to by Mr. Golden.
Were there no positives in this company’s telework program? Was there top-level support, written policies and procedures, and processes, selection criteria based on the employee and job, a communication plan (so everyone is the “loop”), training, and program evaluation (to identify/resolve any start up issues). Did this company follow these steps?
So many questions, and yet so few answers from Dr. Golden’s research.
The Telework Coalition
Washington, DC
http://www.TelCoa.org
Info@TelCoa.org
telework on January 8th, 2009 2:50 am
One cannot only look at the opposite effect due to left out employees , the company needs to plan a job rotation policy if there are people left out in offices within the same area of work and others telecommuting , this certainly is not a drawback for telecommuting but a company policy matter . On the other hand if this comparison is between people from different area of work then one needs to know that not all businesses can be done online
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