Teleworking: an assessment of socio‐psychological factors

Abstract

This article assesses the impact of the social and psychological factors involved in the telework process. It examines factors such as motivation, social interaction, isolation and loneliness, using questionnaire data gathered from various types of small‐ to medium‐sized businesses based in Birmingham, UK between 1996 and 1998. It provides guidelines for managers and teleworkers that might improve efficiency and stimulate greater awareness about what constitutes an effective and human‐centred teleworking strategy. It also highlights and examines the most pertinent operational and logistical problems facing organisations relying on the experiences of both employers and the teleworkers themselves. It concludes that teleworkers need to be more proactive and play more of a key role in user‐initiated change otherwise the “human” factors will be overlooked. Recommends further research to incorporate these findings into practice in larger organisations.