Telecommuting could harm workers back in the office

A recent study shows that telecommuting may be a boon for workers at home, but a less-than-perfect-arrangement for colleagues left back in the cubicle farm. The study of 240 employees from a medium-sized company revealed that more teleworkers in an office equated to less job satisfaction among those who continued to toil away in the office. Timothy Golden, associate professor at the Lally School of Management & Technology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, performed the study, which also showed that employees who work with more teleworkers are less likely to remain with a company. Research from the study suggests that non-teleworkers might feel less loyal or obligated to an organization and have fewer and weaker emotional ties to colleagues in workplaces where telecommuting is more common. According to the Society of Human Resource Management, about 37 percent of U.S. and foreign companies offer flexible work arrangements such as telework and telecommuting. Findings also show that these flexible work arrangements are growing about 11 percent every year. To read more about the study, click here. Written by Jenny Cromie, certified human resources specialist (CHRS)

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