Telecommuting

Our culture teaches us to think of home and work--and the time and space dedicated to each--in wildly different ways. It teaches us to think and behave more or less differently in each place, too, and to expect others to do the same. For example, it's amazing how members of our society generally believe that a hard-working employee is one who looks like she or he is putting in a lot of time at the office.

Telecommuting (literally, engaging in wage work from one's home using some form of telecommunications technology) flagrantly violates these cultural norms, striking directly at the heart of these most fundamental assumptions of daily life. For individuals, families, and organizations, though, learning to adapt to shifting home-work boundaries will be critical in preparing for the changing landscape of future careers, households and employment.

A slew of difficult questions begs for answers. Among them:

• What do we mean by the workday?
• What is a fair day's work?
• What is involved in the process of "going to work"?
• How does one "go home" again?
• What is public or private?
• Who is a loyal worker?
• Who is a committed family ember?
• Who is entitled to institutional rewards?
• How are organizational resources allocated?

from upcoming book--Transition to Telecommuting--by Christena Nippert-Eng

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