Telecommuting: management difficulties arising from workplace perceptions

While there is considerable literature reporting the results of studies of benefits and problems associated with telecommuting, there is little research available addressing how the perceptions of these might differ according to whether one is working as a telecommuter or not. Variations in these perceptions may indicate potential managerial problems and may affect the viability of the programme-an important aspect for those considering setting up telecommuting programmes. Staff working in a software development area in a major international organisation with a large presence in Australia were selected as the population for this study. Some staff were (or had been) working as telecommuters, others were not (and had not been). The staff were asked to rate a series of advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting. By comparing the two groups involved in this study, some insight may be gleaned into how perceptions of telecommuting may differ in the workplace. The results from the study showed that the two groups were different in the way they viewed the advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting, although not in ways that seemed to present major difficulties for managers considering setting up telecommuting programmes. It also identifies a number of issues for further research