The use of portable offices: an exploratory analysis

Portable offices, as defined in this study, require employees to have access to computer and telecommunications equipment which they use outside of their fixed office environment. The primary purpose of this paper is to examine empirically how individuals use portable offices. Four aspects of “use” are considered: (1) when is the portable office used, (2) where is the portable office used, (3) how is the portable office used, and (4) how much time is spent using a portable office. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 62 users of portable technology. Results indicate that employees with access to portable technology take advantage of the portability by using their technology to work in a number of locations outside the office as well as performing a significant amount of supplementary work at home. Primary uses included word processing/document preparation (75% of sample), E-mail (50% of sample), and the use of custom applications (40% of sample)