EMPLOYEE ATTITUDES AND STATED PREFERENCES TOWARD TELECOMMUTING: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

The potential effectiveness of telecommuting as a demand management strategy depends on the extent to which it is adopted by firms and accepted by employees. To gain insight into the factors likely to influence the adoption process, a survey of employees was conducted in three Texas cities: Austin, Dallas, and Houston. In this paper the survey results, focusing on the attitudes toward telecommuting held by employees who presently do not telecommute as well as on their stated preferences toward different telecommuting options are analyzed. Individual and job-related characteristics likely to influence employee participation in telecommuting programs are identified. The results suggest that successful programs are likely to require some job redesign and means of fair performance evaluation. In addition, success appears to depend on the economic arrangements involved, as most employees seem reluctant to trade income for the flexibility afforded by working from home.