Teleworking and Its Impact on Employees in Organizations

Introduction

Telework — or telecommuting, as it is more commonly known — has been around for quite some time and is a work option that is expected to grow in the future. Teleworking is defined as a specified work arrangement that provides employees the ability to work and perform tasks away from a central office, for instance from a home office or "on the move." From the perspective of both managers and employees, it offers certain workers a sense of proper work-life balance. Among its inclusive benefits, teleworking accommodates those with health problems or disabilities and can enhance organizational effectiveness through improved morale and job satisfaction. The purpose of this paper is to describe the impact of teleworking and its role in reinvigorating proper work-life balance for employees within the organization.

Positive Impact of Teleworking

There are numerous key benefits of telecommuting for personnel. According to Baard and Thomas (2010), the benefits of teleworking appear to be causally linked to increased job satisfaction and work-life balance, increased productivity, and a decrease in stress attributed to the home setting. Such benefits appear to be more pronounced for female employees. In particular, teleworkers can achieve closer proximity to and engagement with their families. In addition, they have more control over their working environment. They may experience improved health because they face less stress, spend minimal time commuting, and can establish greater balance between work and family. These benefits help employees attain a sense of control, which in turn results in greater job satisfaction and morale. Another benefit is that personnel achieve greater productivity. For organizations, they gain the capacity to attract and retain quality personnel who have higher morale — effects that improve the competitive reputation of the organization (Gainey and Kelley, 1999).

From the standpoint of the employee, one of the most apparent advantages is the time saved by not commuting to and from the workplace each day. In increasingly congested urban areas, the time saved can be substantial — at times, nearly two hours per day. Another benefit of a teleworking arrangement is the increased level of independence and flexibility in the work schedule, which affords employees a sense of control. Although personnel need to remain accessible to customers, clients, and peers during standard business hours, working from home enables individuals to concentrate on work at the times when they feel most energized and effective. Teleworking can also provide flexibility to address external matters and family needs — such as a doctor's appointment or a child's activity — while minimizing disruptions to the workday (Thomas, 1999).

However, despite the qualitative benefits that teleworking creates for employees, it also brings certain challenges. These include difficulty separating work and home life, as well as feelings of social isolation. Employees who work from home may find it challenging to draw a clear line between work time and personal time. Because the ability to work can become pervasive, telecommuters sometimes find themselves working late into the night, on weekends, or even during holidays. According to Hamilton (2002), 46% of teleworkers worked while on vacation, compared to 34% of conventional office employees. Furthermore, only 24% of teleworkers rated their work-life balance as good or very good, compared to 26% of regular office employees and 38% of those using everyday flextime — the ability to adjust working hours on a day-to-day basis. This suggests that teleworking does not necessarily produce greater feelings of work-life balance (Giberson and Miklos, 2003).

The lack of direct interaction with colleagues can also cause some telecommuters to experience social isolation, or at least a sense of it. This sentiment can manifest in several ways. Job achievements may feel less rewarding without others with whom to celebrate. Moreover, some work tasks can feel overwhelming when an employee has a sense of being cut off from supporting resources — such as a knowledgeable colleague or manager available to provide feedback or assistance. Teleworkers also miss the informal learning that occurs daily through meaningful interactions with peers in a shared office environment. Part-time teleworking is often considered ideal precisely because it mitigates these feelings of social isolation while maximizing the benefits of teamwork and learning (Hawkins and Preiser-Huoy, 1999).

Another notable advantage of teleworking is that it expands the available skill base for organizations. As more organizations adopt telecommuting programs, they become able to accommodate personnel who may not have the capacity to work full-time on-site. This benefits individuals such as those who are disabled, elderly, or have childcare responsibilities, enabling them to access work opportunities they might otherwise be unable to pursue (Mann and Holdsworth, 2003).

Evaluation of Ethical Outcomes

Taking the position that telecommuting is beneficial, it also exerts a broader influence on society and culture. Teleworking contributes to relief from air pollution and traffic congestion, outcomes that are undoubtedly positive. It reduces the number of cars on the road used by commuting employees and, similarly, reduces costs associated with using cars or public transportation to travel to the workplace (Leonard, 2013). Society also benefits to the extent that teleworking decreases work-family conflict and allows parents more time with their children and families.

With regard to ethical outcomes, the framework of utilitarianism is relevant here. Utilitarianism holds that individuals, courses of action, and policies should be assessed by how effectively they promote human happiness and maximize benefit for the greatest number of people. In this context, telecommuting can be seen as making the employee, the employer, the organization, and society as a whole better off. Conversely, failing to expand the use of teleworking risks poor employee productivity, job dissatisfaction, increased turnover, and harm to the environment (Leonard, 2013).

Conclusion

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