Supervisory approaches and paradoxes in managing telecommuting implementation

Abstract

Voluntary telecommuting is an increasingly prevalent flexible work practice, typically offered to assist employees with managing work— family demands. Most organizations with telecommuting policies rely on supervisor discretion regarding policy access and implementation in their department. Although supervisors' approaches have implications for telecommuters and their non-telecommuting co-workers, few studies integrate these stakeholder perspectives. Drawing on surveys and interviews with 90 dyads of supervisors and subordinates, some of whom were telecommuters and some of whom were not, we examine effective managerial approaches regarding telecommuting implementation. First, supervisors should stay in close contact with telecommuters, but this contact should emphasize sharing information rather than close monitoring of work schedules. Telecommuters supervised with an information-sharing approach were more likely to report lower work—family conflict, increased performance, and were more likely to help co-workers. Second, supervisors should encourage telecommuting employees to separate work and family boundaries, which is related to lower work—family conflict. However, supervisors face a paradox as a separation approach can negatively affect workgroup relations: telecommuters who are encouraged to create boundaries between work and family were less likely to extend themselves in crunch times or after hours to help their colleagues. Non-telecommuters' workload and work—family conflict may increase as a result.

Alternative Work Arrangements: Two Images of the New World of Work

“…A meta-analysis found that telecommuting can increase work-family conflict due to longer hours (Allen et al 2015) and because it blurs the boundaries between work and family roles (e.g., Schieman & Young 2010, Allen & Shockley 2009, Kossek & Michel 2011. However, paradoxically, telecommuters who are encouraged to create stronger work-life boundaries are less likely to extend themselves in crunch times, possibly increasing the workload of non-telecommuting coworkers (Lautsch et al 2009). …”

“…Managers also play a role in telecommuters' experience of work (Peters & Heusinkveld 2010). Workers whose managers stay in close contact by sharing information (as opposed to monitoring) experience less work conflict, have better performance, and exhibit more citizenship behavior (Lautsch et al 2009). …”

Leader beliefs and CSR for employees: the case of telework provision

“…One reason for the limited support of telecommuting is that it represents a major departure from traditional work arrangements and thus it poses many real or perceived risks to potential adopters: among others, reduced client face time, higher coordination costs, managers' and employees' discomfort with the ambiguity that this work mode may entail, mismatch in schedules between teleworkers and supervisors or colleagues in the office, dilution of the hierarchical structure of an organization, interpersonal conflicts, Leader Beliefs and Home Teleworking 8 opportunistic employee behaviors, information asymmetries and lack of supervisory skills to monitor and elicit performance from telecommuters (Lautsch, Kossek, and Eaton, 2009;Raghuram et al, 2001). In short, while there may be instrumental reasons for supporting telework (e.g., facilitate the attraction and retention of employees), the benefits are hard to quantify, and some of its drawbacks are intangible and difficult to anticipate.…”

New business models in online hotel distribution: emerging private sales versus leading IDS

“…This generates more distractions and the normative pressure of being constantly responsive (ten Brummelhuis et al 2012;Katz and Aarhus 2002). Empirical findings suggested that people may react to increased exhaustion with withdrawal behaviors that negatively affect workgroup relations with dynamics that resemble those identified by Lautsch and colleagues in their study on workplace flexibility (Lautsch et al 2009). …”