Presentation
Work and Family Conflict: Does Home-Based Telework Make a Difference?
Academy of Management
(2005)
Abstract
Organizations continually seek to find ways to improve the performance of individuals, groups, and the entire organization. Research has shown that, when employees’ work-family conflict levels are reduced, performance in the workplace can be increased. How to reduce these levels, however, is a complex task. One claim that has been made, but not thoroughly researched, is that teleworking can assist employees in reducing their work-family conflict. This empirical study researched the effects of home-based teleworking on work-family conflict. Its purpose was to investigate the differences in work and family conflict (i.e., overall, forms, directions) between full-time worksite employees and full-time teleworking employees (individuals who teleworked from home at least two days per week). Employees in seven for-profit companies in Minnesota were sampled. Of the 308 surveys distributed, 98 teleworker and 123 non-teleworker surveys were returned for a return rate of 71.7 percent. The findings indicate that teleworkers had lower levels of overall work and family conflict as well as most of the other work-family conflict variables explored (i.e., strain-based, time-based, work interference with family, family interference with work). Relationships were also found between work and family conflict and gender, health, number of hours worked, and number of children.
Keywords
- Teleworking,
- Telecommuting,
- Work-Family Conflict
Disciplines
Publication Date
August, 2005
Citation Information
Susan R. Madsen. "Work and Family Conflict: Does Home-Based Telework Make a Difference?" Academy of Management (2005) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/susan_madsen/47/