T23-Group 4

Team Members

 * Christine Sereda
 * Julie St. Michel
 * Hansen Wong

Purpose
To determine whether working from home will be the future for employees currently working at the office.

Description
A home worker is an individual that earns income at home. Some other commonly used terminologies to describe these workers are "teleworkers", "telecommuters", "work from home" individuals "(WFH)", "work at home" individuals "(WAT)", "e-workers" and "e-commuters". Today, the rising numbers of home workers are the results of the improvements in technology. The terms teleworkers, telecommuters, e-workers and e-commuters describe individuals who work at untraditional settings; these settings could be lounges or home offices. The term ‘tele’ in Greek can be translated as ‘at a distance’. The term telework would mean work at a distance. The terms work from home and work at home are alternatives to describe people who work in their homes.

Types of Work
As the world becomes more sociologically and technologically complex, individuals' daily demands also increase. Many companies are realizing this stress on their workers lives and have incorporated new at home programs to accommodate these employees. American Health Care Benefits Company Aetna, for example, initiated a telework program a few years ago. Since its inception, the program has increased by 300%. Out of the company's 10, 000 employees, 27% work from home.

The types of work most suited for home environments are call center support, technical support, customer service agents and help hotlines. With the increasing demand of at home jobs, however, companies have become more inventive with at home work prospects. Multi-National company Voicelog, for example, has at home representatives who perform verifications for various transactions via either telephone or the internet. The innovative American company VIPdesk provides home-based concierges as well as virtual contact customer service. Children's HealthCare of Atlanta provides a home-based hotline that answers calls from all over the world, enabling support for isolated concerned parents.

Other well-known companies that hire home-based employees are Apine Access, Westcorporation, Spheris, American Airlines, 1-800-Flowers, Sprint, and Xeorox. As technology continues to advance, more companies are being added to this list of employers of home-based employees.

Forms of Technology
A factor that allows home workers to be successful is the technologies that they use. Most of these technologies allow forms of communication. Here are some of the popular technologies used:

Internet The internet is a common type of network that allows for long distance communication over a computer. This type of communication allows home workers to easily contact retailers and services. Common uses of the internet:

Instant Messaging (IM) This form of internet communication allows for instant reply. Two or more users can communicate with each other immediately using this kind of program. Common instant messaging programs include the yahoo messenger and the msn messenger. Most IM programs allow share files. This type of communication is often thought of as a private chat. Home-based workers can use instant messaging to contact employees or their managers.

Electronic Mail (Email) Emailing is similar to instant messaging. The difference between the two is that unlike instant messaging, users are able to communicate on their own time. This form of communication is like mailing each other but is more efficient to those who have access to emailing.

Chat Rooms A chat room is also like instant messaging. A chat room however, is a public communication tool over the internet. This form of communication allows users to speak freely to people who have no relationship with the user.

Forums A forum is also a public chat tool provided in some website. It is similar to emailing in that users can communicate in their own time. Home workers may use forums to receive feedback from other employees.

Intranet Much like the internet, this type of communication enables users to communicate in long distance. The difference between intranet and internet is that the intranet is a secured network between individuals. This means that there will not be public access to those who do not share the type of network. The intranet is commonly used by companies and their employees. This also applies for companies that have employees as home workers.

Telephone The telephone is a device that allows for voice communication between two or more people. Work such as technical support and help services requires this type of technology.

Social and Historical Background
The two-fold advancement of the Women's movement and Technology during the 20'th century changed the face of both work and home environments. As post-secondary levels soared with women comprising the majority in the later 20th century, and the inevitable demand for more work opportunities among graduating women, the need for such adaptive work opportunities as at-home-work was evident. In a statistics Canada measurement in 2004, 73% of all women with children under the age 16 living at home were in the work-force, as compared to 39% under the same measurement in 1976. In a 2004 measurement in the United States, 15.1% of 136,602, 000 employed workers worked from home. As well, 1 out of 10 stay at home mothers with children under the age of 6 received their income by means of home-based work in the United States in 2004.

While women’s involvement in the workforce increased, so too did the consumer price index (CPI), or cost-of-living per person. In a U.S. measurement between 1913 and 2000, there were significant increases in the CPI between 1940 and 1980, increasing at its maximum by approximately 15% in the early 1940's and 1980's. As this cost-of-living increased, many women did not only want to join the work-force, but were required to in order to maintain a desirable standard of living for their families.

With the increased demands of today's lifestyles, many men have also chosen to work through their homes. In a 1986 book on telecommuting, the author wrote, "It's good be that telecommuting can make strong marriages better, may push weak over the edge, and make those in the middle get better or worse quite quickly" (Gordan & Kelly, 1986, p. 108).

From the pre-industrial scatterness of the working world, to the modern world in which computer networks have become our social networks, technology and social behaviour are constantly evolving both simultaneously and consequently. For certain home-work is growing, however, its pattern and ingenuity is far more difficult to predict.

Advantages of Working from Home
There are several advantages to working from home

1) No commuting to the office --> For most employees it takes at least 20 minutes to commute to work in perfect traffic conditions. Multiply that by 2 for the return trip home and it takes a minimum of 40 minutes! Working from home not only efficiently eliminates all commuting time, it allows the employee to get some extra must needed sleep and more time in the evenings for leisure activities and family.

2) Saves money --> Employees who work from home save money by reducing hidden costs. With no commuting time to work, employees save money on fuel. Employees must also wear "business appropriate attire" to the office. Working from home, however, allows the employee to wear what he or she feels like so it is not required to buy expensive business suits. Another hidden cost is money that is spent on lunch. Employees tend to go out for lunch while at the office when making lunches becomes to much of a hassle. These costs can be avoided with the fridge full of food in the house. Many employees are also eligiable for tax reductions. Employees may be able to deduct internet access, phone lines, supplies and even part of the mortgage that can be considered a business expense.

3) Environmentally friendly --> Since there is no commuting time for employees working from home, there is a significant reduction on fuel that needs to be purchased for the car. Consequently, this reduces air pollution as well as the noise pollution that occurs from cars driving around suburban neighbourhoods. This advantage also works for employers. With less employees physically working at the office, businesses are able to reduce the amount of energy and working space required. This energy and space can then be used elsewhere.

4) Increases Employee Productivity --> Working from home, motivated employees are able to achieve more throughout their day. No commuting time allows employees to start their work earlier and end it later. Since the employee is the only worker physically present, there are fewer distractions from other employees, whether it be in the form of asking questions or just idle chatting by the watercooler. Employee productivity also increases due to overall better health. Working from home an employee is able to get more sleep, has the option of healthier lunches and snacks, the availability to exercise more and there is a significantly reduced risk that the employee catches an infectious disease from another coworker. All these factors are proven to reduce the average stress an employee feels toward his or her job, thus making them more efficient.

5) Personal Benefits --> Perhaps the most appealing aspect of working from home are the personal benefits that an employee receives. Most work from home employees get to choose their own work hours and schedules. Overtime and cramming to finish assignments is not a problem for those who have strategically chosen the hours in which they are the most productive. Another personal benefit is the increased family time. Especially mothers with younger children, the ability to stay at home with them all day is definately an advantage. Employees are able to build closer relationships with their families and really enjoy all life has to offer.

Disadvantages of Working from Home
Although there are numerous advantages to working from home, there are also several disadvantages

1) Isolation --> Working from home, there are no business colleagues or coworkers to share thoughts and ideas with or to provide feedback on important projects. When an employee has a problem or a question concerning their work, there is essentially no one readily available to help. Another disadvantage of isolation from the office is fewer networking abilities. Working from home deprives the employee of meeting new and potentially important people in the business. This lack of connections may cause the employee to miss out on numerous raises and promotions within the company.

2) Decreases Employee Productivity --> Although employee productivity can increase among at home employees, it certainly depends on the employee. Some employees may find that they are unmotivated to work from home due to distractions. Especially having young children at home may cause distractions to work at home employees who find that there is just to much to do around the house and with the family. Other employees may take advantage of the fact that there is no boss to look over their shoulder to assure that work is being completed. This is also a disadvantage for the employer, who is unable to assure that his or her employee is working.



3) Personal Disadvantages --> Although the personal advantages can draw an employee to working from home, they can soon turn into disadvantages. Extremely motivated employees can easily find themselves working 12 to 14 hour days because they find that there is just too much to do for the office. These extended hours may reduce the employees time spent with the family and doing things that they enjoy. As well, working from home allows for more distractions than at the office. Children, unlimited access to the internet, television, chores and the ability to just about anything an employee wants can certainly distract an employee from the task at hand. Finally, working from home means that at least one room in the house is used as an office. This room can easily expand into other rooms, thus essentially turning the house into a giant office.

Future Outlook
Working from home has been steadily increasing by 15% since 1990. We currently live in a technological age in which much importance is put on such technology as computers, internet, cellphones and e-mail. Without such tools, some experts say that most businesses would be unable to function. These technologies are at the base of working from home and are the reason that such an opportunity exists. The number of employees working from home is expected to increase, especially with the recent downturn in the economy. More businesses are feeling the effects of a recession and are looking for ways to save money. More employees working from home is certainly a potential solution. According to the UK Chartered Management Institute, about 2/3 of employees will be working from home by the year 2018. However, because the system of working from home is not perfect, many ethical issues have arose. One example being the way in which employers monitor their employees to ensure that work is being completed at home. Many argue that such monitoring technology being produced is an evasion of the employee's privacy. Another example is the effect on the employees themselves. It has been predicted that working from home will cause employees more stress than ever, trying to balance the family and the office in a mutually shared space. Despite these issues, the future is looking at working from home to be the next big demand among employees.