Working from home works, says study; Lowered stress and higher morale benefit all parties

No one likes long commutes. The answer for some lucky employees has been working out a telecommuting arrangement with their employer. However there has been lingering questions how well these really work.

Fortunately, for the 45 million Americans who telecommute and would like to be able to continue doing so, a meta-analysis of 46 studies on telecommuting and involving 12,833 employees comes out strongly in favor of the practice calling it a "win-win" for employees and employers. The meta analysis is reported in the current issue of the Journal of Applied Psychology and published by the American Psychological Association (APA). [Link to PDF of full article is here.]

Among the findings:

...telecommuting has more positive than negative effects on employees and employers. A work-at-home option gives telecommuters more freedom in their work arrangement and removes workers from direct, face-to-face supervision. In addition, the employees in their study reported that telecommuting was beneficial for managing the often conflicting demands of work and family.

One question that has been around since the advent of telecommuting is the effect it has on relationships with those working at the office.

Contrary to popular belief that face time at the office is essential for good work relationships, telecommuters' relationship with their managers and coworkers did not suffer from telecommuting with one exception. Employees who worked away from their offices for three or more days a week reported worsening of their relationships with coworkers. However, managers who oversaw telecommuters reported that the telecommuters' performance was not negatively affected by working from home. And those who telecommuted reported that they did not believe their careers were likely to suffer from telecommuting.

Why does this matter? Job satisfaction is important to everyone but as you age it tends to become even more important. Being around the house even just one more day a week gives one a chance to see and interact with family members in a way that is simply not possible when you are 40 miles away at your office.

Interestingly, the average age of a telecommuter is 39 years old and men and women are equally represented. "Win-wins" are rare in the business world. If you think you would benefit by one but have a boss on the fence, print out the study above and ask for a trial. What do you have to lose?

Source: APA

This post is part of LifeTwo's Midlife Career Change FAQ covering all aspects of changing careers in middle age.