(Source: ABC News)

Recent studies indicate that at some point during the work year, as many as 20 million U.S. workers (about 20% of the working population) worked from home at least part of the time in 2008.

Reasons:

• growing interest in environmental concerns
• stable telecommunications infrastructure
• need for cost-cutting
• care for employee well-being and work-life balance, it may be that organizations facilitate telework.

(Source: MSNBC)

(Source: Wimax.com)

(Source: The Work at Home Blog)

(Source: HR Capitalist)

We surveyed 36 information technology professionals in the Washington DC area and asked them to imagine that they work from home as a telecommuter.

Scenario	Ethical	Questionable	Unethical
You begin work between 9:00 AM and 10:30 AM each day.	58.3% (21)	27.8% (10)	13.9% (5)
If you finish work ahead of schedule, you do personal work.	41.7% (15)	47.2% (17)	11.1% (4)
If you finish work ahead of schedule, you exercise or shop.	38.9% (14)	22.2% (8)	38.9% (14)
You have two full time jobs for two different companies.	27.8% (10)	38.9% (14)	33.3% (12)

You are a manager of a group of half telecommuters and half traditional employees and have to determine merit increases for the year. A recent company report showed that telecommuters were 30% more productive than traditional employees. However, you feel that the 'in-house' employees have contributed more towards running the business.	Ethical	Questionable	Unethical
give the 'in-house' employees higher raises.	11.1% (4)	61.1% (22)	27.8% (10)
give employees who telecommute higher raises.	22.2% (8)	44.4% (16)	33.3% (12) 36
keep an ongoing log of the telecommuters connect time.	63.9% (23)	33.3% (12)	2.8% (1)
drive by the telecommuters' houses once in a while.	22.2% (8)	30.6% (11)	47.2% (17)
stop at the telecommuters' houses to see if they are home.	13.9% (5)	36.1% (13)	50.0% (18)
phone the telecommuters at home to see if they are in.	47.2% (17)	41.7% (15)	11.1% (4)

Scenario	Ethical	Questionable	Unethical
You have a chance to join your spouse, familiy member, or friend at a seminar in Waikiki Beach. You plan to take your computer and telework from the hotel room as if it were your house.	50.0% (18)	38.9% (14)	11.1% (4)
Some of the work you do at home is a highly routine. You find that you can make several personal phone calls while making database corrections.	38.9% (14)	41.7% (15)	19.4% (7)
You develop Carpel Tunnel syndrome from working at home. The company refuses to pay compensation reasoning that you did not set up an ergonomically correct workstation for yourself and that your condition did not develop on company premises. Is the company being:	33.3% (12)	41.7% (15)	25.0% (9)
You telecommute 3 days a week. On days you work at home, you keep your kids at home saving $200/week in day care fees.	50.0% (18)	38.9% (14)	11.1% (4)
You telecommute 3 days a week. On days you work at home, you stop work for a half hour at 3:00 pm to pick the kids up.	61.1% (22)	27.8% (10)	11.1% (4)
You need to connect to your company to complete your work. You have trouble connecting and find that the network will be down for four hours. You decide to play tennis at the club and resume work after the network is available.	22.9% (8)	45.7% (16)	31.4% (11)
Your company allows workers to telecommute if they provide their own computers, software and communications equipment to support their job from home. Is the company being:	41.7% (15)	27.8% (10)	30.6% (11)

Demographics:

• 27.8% of respondents regularly or sometimes telecommute in their current position.
• 11.2% of respondents manage telecommuters in their current positions.
• 47.2% of respondents were male, 50.0% of respondents were female.

Conclusions:

• concerns with privacy
• value flexibility