Work and Family Environments and the Adoption of Computer-Supported Supplemental Work-at-Home

Abstract

This research compares the work, family, and work–family environments of adopters and nonadopters of computer-supported supplementary work-at-home (e.g., work done at home, after regular office hours, using computer technology). Subjects consisted of 307 men and 147 women. These individuals were married, in managerial or professional positions, used a computer in their job, and had a spouse who had a full-time managerial or professional job. The results show that adopters of computer-supported work-at-home have higher task variety, role overload, interference, and stress than nonadopters. Interestingly, there were no significant differences in marital or family satisfaction despite concerns that computer technology would create computer widows and be perceived as a major intrusion of the office into the home. Our results indicate that computer-supported supplemental work-at-home may provide benefits for organizations who facilitate their employees’ acquisition of home technology.