Revising Telecommuting Intention After a Mass Experience Brought on by COVID-19 Mobility Restrictions: An Integrated Choice and Latent Variable Model

Abstract

Mobility restrictions implemented worldwide to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic led to mass telecommuting or remote working (RW). RW has been studied since the 1970s, mainly based on controlled situations or stated preferences in the Global North. However, the pandemic forced thousands of millions of people worldwide to work remotely, which serves as a natural experiment to better understand telecommuting from real-life experiences. In this respect, the purpose of this paper is to identify the objective and subjective factors that explain RW scheme preferences based on the RW experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. This paper explores future RW intention among workers, who did not change jobs during the pandemic, using sociodemographic, trip- and location-related variables, attitudes, and perceptions, via an integrated choice and latent variable (ICLV) model. Besides corroborating the influence of many traditional factors in the literature, we have found that individuals’ pre-COVID commute mode and its related satisfaction are key determinants of future RW preferences or intentions. Using a private car as the main commute mode increases the likelihood of preferring workplace-based labor, whereas using transit is associated with a preference for RW. Also, more satisfied travelers prefer more office time. Based on massive actual lived RW experiences, this study discusses the implication of the results in transportation modeling and travel behavior. We also discuss how this massive experience can reshape mobility worldwide.