Telecommuting: Stress and Social Support

Abstract

Occupational stress and social support were measured in adults, 15 working as telecommuters, 9 working at home, and 14 working in a company office. Analysis showed telecommuters and office workers perceived more support than those working at home. Telecommuters also reported less stress and a stronger preference for this new work option.

Commuting and well-being

“…Stephens and Szajna (1998) found evidence confirming that commute reduction implies less driver frustration and stress, as conjectured by Trent, Smith, and Wood (1994). Other widely reported motivations for telecommuting are: flexibility, relaxed atmosphere, cost savings, increased family-time, and avoidance of office politics.…”

“…Standen, Daniels, and Lamond (1999) suggest that the erosion of boundaries (the structural and psychological divide between life and work) negatively affects well-being. Much attention has also been given to the potential consequences of overlap between work and non-work domains (Ellison, 1999;Hill, Hawkins, & Miller, 1996), where a home becomes negatively isolating (Lundberg & Lindfors, 2002;Ellison, 1999) and individuals perceive less social support (Trent, Smith, & Wood, 1994). Some have contemplated how telecommuting may undermine restorative functions of the home (Hartig, Kylin, & Johansson, 2007) and considered how family related stressors can spillover to the work domain (Baruch & Nicholson, 1997;Lewis & Cooper, 1995, Standen, 2000.…”

“…Belanger (1999) found that telecommuters report greater productivity and personal control than commuters but obtained no significant differences in either satisfaction or performance, whereas Kossek, Lautsch, and Eaton (2006) found telecommuters had higher performance ratings by supervisors (although that did not result from flexibility control; see Chapter X). As periodic telecommuters and regular office workers have been found to have higher rates of social support than full telecommuters (Trent, Smith, & Wood, 1994), the relationship between telecommuting and social isolation requires examination. Golden (2006) did find a higher degree of teleworking to be associated with more organizational commitment and less turnover intentions, with work exhaustion partially mediating the relationship between degree of telework and organizational commitment and fully mediating the relationship between telework and turnover intentions.…”

Flexible Working and Performance: A Systematic Review of the Evidence for a Business Case

“…Remote workers were found to suffer greater role conflict and role overload as a result of simultaneous demands from work and home (e.g. Kraut 1989; Moore 2006), may experience lower levels of social support than office‐based employees (Trent et al . 1994) and co‐worker conflict (Gajendran and Harrison 2007).…”

2 Old Assumptions, New Work

“…In Ho, Ang, and Straub's (2003) study, a positive relationship with the boss is positively related to evaluations of the nonstandard contract worker's performance. The reality of an insecure livelihood in some forms of nonstandard work (e.g., where friendship and support may coexist with competition) and the complexities of working in the home, in the case of contractors and telecommuters, can generate interpersonal tension and a greater need for social support (Baines, 1999(Baines, , 2002Trent, Smith, & Wood, 1994).…”