TELECOMMUTING FREQUENCY AND IMPACTS FOR STATE OF CALIFORNIA EMPLOYEES

Abstract Panel surveys conducted as part of the State of California Telecommuting Pilot Project produced an extensive database on demographic characteristics, travel behavior, office activities, and attitudes of telecommuters and control group members. Analysis of these data gives valuable insight into the frequency of working at home and its effect on job activities and the use of office technologies. Participants telecommuted about 6 days per month on average. There was no significant impact of demographic variables such as age, gender, or number of children in the household on frequency of telecommuting. No correlation was also detected between this frequency and home-to-work distance. Two separate factor analyses examined the impact of telecommuting on changes in usage of office technologies and office activities. Telecommuters in this sample have a higher usage of personal computing than control group members and a decreasing trend in use of conventional office communications and mobile communications. Telecommuters also scored higher than the control group in frequency of analyzing information and decision making. This suggests that although telecommuting naturally decreases the level of interaction with others, the decision-making process is not impeded.