Teleworker's home office: an extension of corporate office?

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a literature review of the home offices of teleworkers employed by organizations in an attempt to understand the relationships between the design and physical conditions of home offices and teleworkers' work behaviours and to identify new areas of research around home offices.Design/methodology/approachAn extensive review of the research literature in home working, teleworking, and conventional office settings from multiple disciplines was carried out.FindingsThis review has located no recent studies that focus on the design and conditions of home‐offices of teleworkers employed by organizations. The research on home working and on conventional offices suggests that teleworkers desire qualities in their home offices similar to those of conventional offices. Little is known about how the physical conditions of dwellings and family variables affect the effectiveness of home offices as a workplace.Research limitations/implicationsLittle empirical research focused on home offices is available, so much more research is needed.Practical implicationsThe design of home workspace must meet the needs of teleworkers and their families' home environment. The cost savings in corporate facilities must be balanced against the workplace needs of their employees.Originality/valueThe paper fills a gap in research about teleworking in home offices by integrating research from two related areas: homeworking and conventional office environment.