133
Research
Attitudes Toward Telecommuting:
Implications for Work-At-Home Programs
Gerardine DeSanctis
University of Minnesota, Management Sciences Department, 271
19th Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA;
Teleph.: (612) 373-5211
Telecommuting, or working at home through use of tele-
communications systems, is receiving increasing attention in
the popular literature. MIS managers interested in improving
the productivity and job satisfaction of their technical person-
nel are beginning to consider work alternatives made possible
by declining costs of data communications and the influx of
microcomputers into homes and offices. Though interest is
high, there is little material available which can serve to guide
organizations when implementing remote work programs. The
research discussed here examines the attitudes of 51 managers
and 129 programmers toward working at home. Survey data
were collected from 3 divisions in 2 locations of a computer
services firm which had experimented with work at home.
Results suggest more interest in telecommuting among pro-
grammers than project managers; surprisingly, the two groups
tend to identify the same benefits and problems. In general,
programmers express support for any alternative which would
add variability and autonomy to their work, whether it is a
change in work location or simply a change in scheduling. The
implications of these findings are discussed.
Keywords: Keywords: telecommuting, MIS personnel, remote
work, work scheduling, attitudes, work
alternatives
Gerardine DeSanctis is Assistant
Professor of Management Informa-
tion Systems at the University of
Minnesota. She holds a D.B.A. de-
gree from Texas Tech University.
She has published articles in such
journals as the Academy of Mana-
gement Journal Decision Sciences,
Communications of the ACM and
Psychological Reports. Her current
research interests are in MIS im-
plementation, MIS personnel is-
sues, and decision support systems.
She has worked in the data processing departments of several
companies and has served as an industry consultant.
North-Holland
Information & Management 7 (1984) 133-139
0378-7206/84/$3.00 © 1984, Elsevier Science Publishers B.V. (North-Holland)
1. I n t r o d u c t i o n
Self-employed professionals, consultants, and
contract workers have worked in their homes for
years, but only recently has attention been given to
the idea of having permanent employees perform
their jobs at home on a regular basis. Several
trends have contributed to interest in work at
home:
• P r e s s u r e w i t h i n o r g a n i z a t i o n s to f i n d w a y s t o
improve worker productivity and attract and
retain technically competent employees;
• Social concern for improvement in the quality
o f w o r k life, i n c l u d i n g e m p h a s i s o n w o r k e r n e e d s
for independence, leisure time, and flexibility in
the work place;
• Political-economic concern for conservation of
e n e r g y r e s o u r c e s r e q u i r e d t o m o v e p e o p l e to
and from work.
T h e r e is s p e c u l a t i o n a m o n g o r g a n i z a t i o n a l re-
s e a r c h e r s a n d f u t u r i s t s t h a t p r e s s u r e s t o w a r d re-
m o t e w o r k will b e g r e a t e r i n t h e f u t u r e . T h e s e
p r e s s u r e s will b e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e f o l l o w i n g
trends:
• Progressively lower telecommunications costs to
move information and higher energy costs to
move labor and other resources;
• Increasing numbers of dual-career households
with home and childcare responsibilities shared
by both adults;
• Increasing presence of low-cost computers and
telecommunications equipment in homes with
fast, r e l i a b l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n b e t w e e n a n i n d i -
vidual and the work place.
An employee may work at home anywhere from
part-time (one or two days per week) to full-time,
r a r e l y m a k i n g a t r i p t o t h e office. T h i s p a p e r
considers full-time work done at home three or
four days per week and in the office on remaining
days. Based largely on anecdotal evidence, several
 134 Research
Table 1
Benefits and Problems of Telecommuting for Individuals and Organizations
For the Individual
Benefits 1. Less travel time & cost
2. Flexibility in scheduling
3. More casual work atmosphere
4. More opportunity to be involved in neighborhood
and community activities
5. Reduced clothing costs
6. Improved morale: the individual feels treated
as a professional
7. Employment opportunity for those otherwise unable to
work (elderly, handicapped, parents with small
children)
Problems 1. Less social stimulation
2. Less personalized supervision
3. Lack of visibility may negatively affect promotion
and career advancement
4. Family and neighbors may perceive the person as not
having a "respectable" job
5. Non-telecommuting fellow employees
may be resentful
6. Participation in meetings may be difficult to schedule
because of reduced time spent in the workplace
a u t h o r s h a v e i d e n t i f i e d b e n e f i t s a n d p r o b l e m s of
h o m e w o r k [3,4,7,11,12]. T h e s e a r e s u m m a r i z e d in
T a b l e 1.
Few companies have conducted formal experi-
m e n t s w i t h h o m e w o r k i n g ; an e v e n s m a l l e r n u m -
b e r h a v e c o m m i t t e d t h e m s e l v e s to the i d e a by
establishing permanent policies or programs.
W h e r e trial p r o g r a m s h a v e b e e n c o n d u c t e d , t h e y
generally have been informal, involving small
n u m b e r s o f e m p l o y e e s w i t h little a t t e m p t to m e a -
sure p r o j e c t o u t c o m e s . O n l y two e m p i r i c a l s t u d i e s
h a v e b e e n r e p o r t e d [9,10], a n d t h e s e h a v e relied o n
s a m p l e s w h i c h w e r e s m a l l ( N = 40 a n d N = 9 re-
s p e c t i v e l y ) a n d h e t e r o g e n e o u s w i t h r e s p e c t to j o b
task ( i n c l u d i n g d a t a e n t r y clerks, c o u r s e d e v e l o p -
m e n t analysts, t e c h n i c a l m a n a g e r s , etc.). R e s e a r c h
o n the effects of t e l e c o m m u t i n g o n i n d i v i d u a l s a n d
o r g a n i z a t i o n s is d i f f i c u l t to c o n d u c t , b e c a u s e
o r g a n i z a t i o n s are g e n e r a l l y r e l u c t a n t to e x p e r i m e n t
w i t h the c o n c e p t . T e l e c o m m u t i n g is a costly u n d e r -
taking, e v e n o n a p i l o t basis, a n d t h e r e is u n c e r -
t a i n t y as to h o w to i m p l e m e n t it. A t this p o i n t , all
w o r k in the a r e a m u s t b e c o n s i d e r e d e x p l o r a t o r y .
T e l e c o m m u t i n g is of p a r t i c u l a r i n t e r e s t in the
m a n a g e m e n t i n f o r m a t i o n s y s t e m s a r e a for several
r e a s o n s . First, it has b e e n a r g u e d t h a t in b a d
e c o n o m i c t i m e s b u s i n e s s e s t u r n to their M I S de-
For the Company
1. Reduced overhead costs in central work facility
2. Reduced turnover or loss of good employees
3. Greater off-hour use of computer resources
4. Recruiting of high quality personnel
5. Productivity improvement associated with less
stress and flexible hours
6. May be part of a quality of work life program
1. Initial investment is expensive
2. Supervision and performance evaluation difficult
3. Isolation may result in a less competent worker over
time
4. Management may not accept the concept
5. Public relations - clients & community may be
skeptical that employees are truly working
p a r t m e n t s for i m p r o v e m e n t s in p r o d u c t i v i t y [2].
M I S d e p a r t m e n t s , in turn, l o o k to t h e i r p e r s o n n e l
for w a y s to i n c r e a s e o u t p u t . T e l e c o m m u t i n g has
b e e n v i e w e d as a m e a n s to i m p r o v e p r o d u c t i v i t y .
W o r k i n g at h o m e i m p l i e s less travel t i m e a n d m o r e
f l e x i b i l i t y for w o r k a n d leisure activities, r e s u l t i n g
in less stress o n the i n d i v i d u a l a n d m o r e t i m e
a v a i l a b l e for e f f e c t i v e w o r k [4,5].
S e c o n d , several studies h a v e f o u n d that s y s t e m s
p e r s o n n e l h a v e h i g h e r n e e d s for a u t o n o m y a n d
a c h i e v e m e n t t h a n o t h e r w o r k e r s , such as a c c o u n -
t a n t s a n d e n g i n e e r s [15,16]. T h e i m p r o v e d flexibil-
ity in w o r k h o u r s a n d less d i r e c t s u p e r v i s i o n asso-
c i a t e d w i t h h o m e w o r k m i g h t give the i n d i v i d u a l a
g r e a t e r feeling of a u t o n o m y .
T h i r d , M I S d e p a r t m e n t s are c o n c e r n e d w i t h
a t t r a c t i n g a n d r e t a i n i n g h i g h q u a l i t y p e r s o n n e l in
an era w h e n t h e y a r e d i f f i c u l t to r e c u i t a n d e x p e n -
sive to replace. If w o r k i n g at h o m e results in
h i g h e r j o b s a t i s f a c t i o n , t h e n this a l t e r n a t i v e m a y
b e d e s i r a b l e for w o r k e r s w h o are h i g h l y v a l u e d b y
the o r g a n i z a t i o n .
F i n a l l y , the p o s s i b i l i t y of f l e x i b l e h o u r s m a y
result in g r e a t e r o f f - h o u r use of c o m p u t e r r e s o u r c e s .
The individual programmer who can avoid queu-
ing a n d o t h e r d e l a y s a s s o c i a t e d w i t h h e a v i l y - u s e d
s y s t e m s c o u l d b e c o m e m o r e efficient.

Whether or not MIS departments can experi-
ence any of the above benefits cannot be
determined until pilot programs are established
and evaluated. Meanwhile, several pre-implemen-
tation issues can be examined, such as the extent
to which MIS personnel are interested in working
at home; whether or not programming and other
systems tasks can be performed remotely; and
what benefits and problems can be expected from
telecommuting.
The purpose of the study was to provide initial
insight into several pre-implementation issues by
studying the attitudes of MIS personnel toward
telecommuting. Since systems personnel and their
managers have been shown to have different psy-
chological needs [6], the viewpoints of these two
groups were considered separately.
In the study, the following hypotheses were
tested:
H I : A s a group, programmers are more inter-
ested in working at home than managers.
H2: Programmers are more likely than managers
to peceive their work as lending itself to being
performed remotely.
H3: Employees who support the telecommuting
concept tend to support other nonconventional pro-
grams, such as (a) f l e x t i m e and (b) working in a
suburban satellite facility.
In addition to testing the above hypotheses the
following questions were explored:
QI: Do managers and programmers differ in
their views o f the benefits and problems o f working
at home?
QI: Do managers and programmers differ in
their views o f the benefits and problems o f working
at home?
Q2: A r e the expected benefits and problems o f
telecommuting similar to those o f flextime?
Q3: Are attitudes toward telecommuting a func-
tion o f the demographic characteristics o f the em-
ployee, such as age, sex, educational level or number
o f children at home?
Q4." Are attitudes toward telecommuting a func-
tion o f how f a r employees commute, or their method
o f transportation ?
Q5: Do attitudes depend on j o b characteristics,
such as responsibility f o r the supervision o f others or
the need to interact with coworkers?
Q6." Are attitudes toward telecommuting related
to the individual's status, as measured by salary
grade or length o f stay in the company?
G. DeSanctis / Attitudes Toward Telecornrnuting 135
3. Method
51 managers and 129 p r o g r a m m e r / a n a l y s t s
from 3 divisions in 2 locations of a computer
services firm were surveyed regarding their atti-
tudes toward telecommuting. The firm has a tradi-
tional work scheduling policy for all employees: 8
hours per day, 5 days per week. Any change to this
schedule is arranged on an informal basis, between
individual managers and their subordinates. Prior
to administering this survey, a small pilot program
had been conducted in which one p r o g r a m m e r /
analyst worked in her home 3 days per week.
None of the respondents in this study had worked
at home themselves, but they were familiar with
the concept.
The survey contained 33 items. Initial questions
related to background characteristics of the re-
spondent (age, sex, number of children at home,
j o b experience, salary grade, etc.). The employee
was then presented with three hypothetical
changes: work at home, work in a suburban satel-
lite facility, and flextime. In each case the respon-
dent was asked to compare the alternative with the
current work schedule and indicate their prefer-
ence. Next they were asked if their work was
adaptable to being done at home or on a flextime
schedule. Finally, they were asked their views re-
garding potential benefits and problems of flex-
time and telecommuting both for themselves and
the organization.
4. Results
Hypotheses were tested using the chi square test
for independence of populations. All three hy-
potheses were supported. The follow-up questions
were studied using simple classification and chi
square tests. Results are shown in Tables 2 through
5.
H I : Type of work and attitude toward telecom-
muting were clearly related. Programmers were
more likely than managers to select the home work
option (see Table 2).
H2: N o t surprisingly, programmers perceived
that their work could be done at home, whereas
managers did not. Much of a programmer's work
time is spent alone, sitting in front of a terminal,
whereas a manager's j o b requires greater interper-
sonal contact.
 136 Research

Table 2
Attitudes of Programmers and Managers Toward Telecommuting

Hypothesis Attitude Programmers Managers Chi Sq. Sig.

1 Prefer telecommuting 81 19 12.7 0.001
Prefer traditional 31 26
schedule
2 Work can be done 75 5 45.9 0.001
at home
Work cannot be done 29 39
at home

Table 3
Preference for Telecommuting Versus Other Alternatives

Hypothesis Schedule Schedule Preference Chi Sq. Sig.

Preference
Telecommuting Traditional
3a Prefer traditional 12 17 7.98 0.005
schedule
Prefer flextime 84 37
schedule
3b Prefer traditional 24 26 8.94 0.003
location
Prefer satellite 68 25
office

Table 4
Managers and Programmers Perceptions of the Benefits and Problems of Telecommuting Versus Traditional Office Work

Managers Programmers
( N = 51) (N =129)
Expected Benefits
For the Individual less costly (43%) less costly (43%)
fewer interruptions (25%) fewer interruptions (29%)
more productive (22%) more productive (25%)
For the Organization more productive (22%) more productive (29%)
improved morale (16%) improved morale (19%)
lower overhead (12%) lower overhead (14%)
Expected Problems
For the Individual communication communication
problems (53%) problems (27%)
fewer resources fewer resources
available (22%) available (26%)
being self disci- bad working
plined (16%) conditions (12%)
For the Organization difficult to difficult to
manage (53%) manage (43%)
performance measure- performance measure-
ment difficult (14%) ment difficult (6%)
less coverage (12%) less productive (9%)

Note: Percentages indicate the percent of all managers or programmers who mentioned the item in open-ended questions dealing with
benefits and problems of telecommuting.

Table 5
Managers and Programmers Perceptions of the Benefits and Problem of Flextime Versus the Traditional Work Schedule
Managers
(N = 51)
Expected Benefits better computer usage (16%)
more personal control (10%)
quieter (10%)
Expected Problems communication problems (33%)
less coverage (22%)
management problems (10%)
Note: Percentagesindicate the percent of all managers or programmers who mentioned the item in open-ended questions dealing with
benefits and problems of flextime.
H3: For both flextime a n d a satellite facility a
significant chi square was observed (see T a b l e 3).
Employees who selected t e l e c o m m u t i n g over tradi-
tional office work also prefered flextime a n d a
satellite location.
QI: In o p e n - e n d e d questions, managers a n d
p r o g r a m m e r s were asked to identify benefits a n d
p r o b l e m s of t e l e c o m m u t i n g for themselves a n d for
the organization. Their responses were categorized
a n d c o u n t e d for frequency of occurrence. Perhaps
because of their greater interest, p r o g r a m m e r s were
more likely to list benefits than managers (see
T a b l e 4). Conversely, managers were more likely
to m e n t i o n problems. The two groups identified
the same advantages a n d disadvantages, however.
T e l e c o m m u t i n g was seen as p r o m o t i n g better
morale a n d productivity, a n d both groups recog-
nized the difficulties of m a n a g i n g remote workers
a n d c o o r d i n a t i n g c o m m u n i c a t i o n s . However, easier
childcare, better recruiting and reduced turnover,
a n d p r o b l e m s of career d e v e l o p m e n t were not
m e n t i o n e d by either group, contrary to p o p u l a r
writing on the topic.
Q2: In the literature, m a n y of the potential
advantages attributed to t e l e c o m m u t i n g are also
espoused b y flextime advocates (improved j o b
satisfaction, reduced t r a n s p o r t a t i o n costs, etc.).
T a b l e 5 lists the perceived advantages a n d disad-
vantages of flextime. As with telecommuting, a
change to flextime was expected to improve
productivity b u t result in c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d
m a n a g e m e n t problems. Perhaps because of the
more significant change in scheduling, better use
of c o m p u t e r resources was m e n t i o n e d for flextime
b u t not for work at home; a n d while telecommut-
ing was expected to impact worker morale, flex-
time was not. As with telecommuting, p r o g r a m m e r s
G. DeSanctis / Attitudes Toward Telecommuting 137
Programmers
(N =129)
better computer usage (30%)
better coverage (16%)
more productive (11%)
communication problems (16%)
less coverage (8%)
management problems (3%)
were more likely to list benefits while managers
m e n t i o n e d problems.
Q3: U s i n g 7 categories of age, 5 categories of
education, a n d 4 categories of n u m b e r of children
at home, chi square analyses revealed n o signifi-
cant relationships between these variables a n d atti-
tude toward telecommuting. However, preference
to work at home was related to sex (chi square =
3.51, alpha = 0.05), with a greater p r o p o r t i o n of
w o m e n (74%) favoring the alternative than m e n
(59%).
Q4: The organization used in this study was
located in a large m e t r o p o l i t a n area. O n the aver-
age, employees c o m m u t e d 13.1 miles (21 km) to
work, with a range of 0.5 to 40 miles (0.8 to 64.4
km). Three t r a n s p o r t a t i o n variables were ex-
a m i n e d : c o m m u t i n g distance, method of transpor-
tation, and availability of public t r a n s p o r t a t i o n
near one's home. N o n e of these was m e a n i n g f u l l y
related to r e s p o n d e n t s ' attitudes.
Q5: Preference for t e l e c o m m u t i n g was signifi-
cantly related to supervisory responsibility (chi
square = 4.22, alpha = 0.04). A smaller p r o p o r t i o n
of those with supervisory duties (53%) favored the
home work o p t i o n than those without such duties
(69%). Also, the more frequently the r e s p o n d e n t s
had to interact with others to p e r f o r m their jobs,
the less likely they were to prefer telecommuting;
b u t this relationship was not significant. Interest
i n t e l e c o m m u t i n g was n o t a f u n c t i o n of the tend-
ency to take work home at night (chi square = 0.09,
alpha = 0.95) b u t was related to the need to come
into the office d u r i n g offhours to deal with emer-
gencies or work overtime (chi square = 5.80, alpha
= 0.05).
Q6: Chi square analyses revealed that persons
in lower salary grades a n d those with less seniority
 138 Research
were m o r e likely to prefer the h o m e work option.
These relationships were not, however, significant.
5. Discussion
In their study of the t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s - t r a n s -
p o r t a t i o n tradeoff, Nilles et al. [8] c o n c l u d e d that
p e r c e p t i o n s p l a y a significant role in the success of
t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s systems. T h r o u g h survey re-
search, they d e m o n s t r a t e d that p r i o r a t t i t u d e s to-
w a r d s cable television, radio, a n d t o u c h t o n e tele-
p h o n e s affected s u b s e q u e n t use of these systems.
T h e y go on to conjecture that attitudes t o w a r d
t e l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s technologies in the home, in-
c l u d i n g electronic banking, video conferencing,
p r i n t e d messaging, and j o b - r e l a t e d work via termi-
nals will m e a n i n g f u l l y i m p a c t the way in which
these technologies are used. The current s t u d y
a t t e m p t e d to be m o r e careful in e x a m i n i n g the
e x p e c t a t i o n s of o r g a n i z a t i o n a l m e m b e r s t o w a r d
w o r k i n g at home.
Results suggest that the decision to work at
h o m e is p r i m a r i l y related to a p e r s o n ' s work posi-
tion a n d j o b characteristics. P r o g r a m m e r / a n a l y s t s ,
whose work in the office is closely tied to c o m -
p u t e r technology, can easily envision how their
w o r k might be d o n e remotely. On the other hand,
those with supervisory duties are m o r e resistant to
the idea. Because m a n a g e m e n t is not e m b r a c i n g
the concept, we might expect that t e l e c o m m u t i n g
will not b e c o m e widely p r a c t i c e d b y full-time
o r g a n i z a t i o n e m p l o y e e s in the near future, even
though the t e c h n o l o g y is a l r e a d y available.
It is interesting that most d e m o g r a p h i c a n d
t r a n s p o r t a t i o n variables were not related to atti-
tudes t o w a r d telecommuting. T h e fact that m o r e
w o m e n than men, given the o p t i o n , m a y choose to
t e l e c o m m u t e m a y i m p l y that c o m p a n i e s should be
sensitive to p o s s i b l e d i s c r i m i n a t i o n p r o b l e m s if
they m a k e such p r o g r a m s available. The fact that
r e d u c e d travel time was not seen as a v a l u a b l e
o u t c o m e of w o r k i n g at h o m e suggests that organi-
z a t i o n s m a y not w a n t to solicit t e l e c o m m u t e r s
b a s e d on ease of c o m m u t i n g as a m a i n objective.
W i t h regard to objectives, it a p p e a r s that organiza-
tional m e m b e r s will be l o o k i n g for effects on
m o r a l e a n d p r o d u c t i v i t y ; effects on recruiting,
turnover, a n d t r a n s p o r t a t i o n are not as a p p a r e n t
to people. L a c k of social i n t e r a c t i o n was n o t iden-
tified as a m a j o r p r o b l e m with w o r k i n g at home.
This is consistent with research showing a low
level of interest in associations with p e o p l e a m o n g
D P professionals a n d m a n a g e r s [1].
A s in other areas of MIS, the success or
nonsuccess of t e l e c o m m u t i n g will be a function of
how it is i m p l e m e n t e d . E x p e c t a t i o n s and other
b e h a v i o r a l factors will be critical to o u t c o m e s of
t e l e c o m m u t i n g p r o g r a m s . Expectations, as re-
flected in a t t i t u d e s t o w a r d telecommuting, are re-
lated to characteristics of the p o t e n t i a l telecom-
m u t e r (e.g., sex) a n d the n a t u r e of the work being
p e r f o r m e d (e.g., a m o u n t of offhour time required).
These variables, in turn, influence how m a j o r im-
p l e m e n t a t i o n issues are handled. The decision to
place p r o g r a m m e r s in the h o m e requires, a m o n g
o t h e r things, interest on the p a r t of p r o g r a m m e r s
a n d s u p p o r t for the idea b y m a n a g e m e n t . G i v e n
that the p r o g r a m has some objective, such as im-
p r o v i n g p r o g r a m m e r s ' j o b satisfaction, telecom-
m u t i n g should be considered in c o m p a r i s o n to
o t h e r work scheduling or location alternatives. The
findings of this s t u d y indicate that the expected
o u t c o m e s of t e l e c o m m u t i n g are similar to those of
flextime. P r o g r a m m e r s are interested in h o m e w o r k
a n d feel that it will result in ' i m p r o v e d morale'.
However, they are also interested in flextime and
w o r k i n g in a satellite facility, a n d p e r h a p s any
alternative which w o u l d be thought to reduce work
i n t e r r u p t i o n s a n d increase productivity. G i v e n a
desire to i m p r o v e j o b satisfaction or p r o d u c t i v i t y ,
t e l e c o m m u t i n g is o n l y one alternative. Research
needs to be p e r f o r m e d on how o r g a n i z a t i o n s can
select the most a p p r o p r i a t e alternative.
The attitudes of o r g a n i z a t i o n a l m e m b e r s have
i m p l i c a t i o n s for training a n d p r o b l e m - a v o i d a n c e
d u r i n g i m p l e m e n t a t i o n . Sensitivity on the p a r t of
p r o g r a m m e r s to the p r o b l e m s of r e m o t e w o r k sug-
gests that they m a y be c o o p e r a t i v e a n d work with
m a n a g e m e n t to d e a l with p e r f o r m a n c e measure-
ment, c o m m u n i c a t i o n p r o b l e m s , a n d o t h e r issues
d u r i n g i m p l e m e n t a t i o n . Both m a n a g e r s a n d
programmers e m p h a s i z e d the p r o b l e m s of
c o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d resource availability when
w o r k i n g at home. T h e i m p l i c a t i o n is that organiza-
tions should give special a t t e n t i o n to d e v e l o p i n g
m e t h o d s for dealing with such p r o b l e m s when
i m p l e m e n t i n g a t e l e c o m m u t i n g p r o g r a m . F o r ex-
ample, electronic messaging or c o m p u t e r i z e d access
to systems m a n u a l s might be m a d e available to
h o m e workers. T h e e x p e c t a t i o n of b a d w o r k i n g
c o n d i t i o n s while at h o m e implies the need to de-

velop suggestions for dealing with this problem
when preparing workers for the move from office
to home. Lack of mention of remaining technically
competent and assuring career development while
at home suggests that this potential problem be
b r o u g h t o u t to h o m e w o r k e r s . S p e c i a l t r a i n i n g
s e m i n a r s w h i c h d e a l w i t h s u c h i s s u e s as: ' H o w t o
discipline oneself while working at home' and' How
to m a i n t a i n c o m p e t e n c e a n d v i s i b i l i t y in t h e
o r g a n i z a t i o n w h i l e a t h o m e ' m a y b e in o r d e r . S u c h
training has not been provided in the documented
cases of telecommuting.
In summary, this study provides some initial
insight into the attitudes of systems personnel
toward home work. The results may be useful to
organizations when planning pilot programs. The
r e l a t i o n s h i p b e t w e e n w o r k e r e x p e c t a t i o n s a n d tele-
commuting s u c c e s s r e m a i n s to b e d e t e r m i n e d
through experience and research.
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