Mechanisms to improve labor productivity by performing telework

• Published in: Telecommunications policy Vol. 44; no. 2; p. 101868
• Main Author: Kazekami, Sachiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2020; Butterworth-Heinemann
• Subjects: Buses; Commuting; Crowding stress; Happiness; Interruption at work; Job satisfaction; Labor; Labor economics; Labor productivity; Life satisfaction; Life stress; Occupational stress; Schedules; Stress of balancing work and domestic chores; Supervisors; Task scheduling; Telecommunications policy; Telecommuting; Telework; Workers; Working hours; Japan; Telework; J28; J81; Labor productivity; Interruption at work; Stress of balancing work and domestic chores; J22; Commuting; J24; Life satisfaction
• ISSN: 0308-5961; 1879-3258
• DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2019.101868

This study investigates mechanisms underlying the influence of telework on labor productivity in Japan. First, this study finds that appropriate telework hours increase labor productivity, but when telework hours are too long, telework decreases labor productivity. Second, telework increases life satisfaction, and life satisfaction improves labor productivity. However, telework increases the stress of balancing work and domestic chores, contrary to Japanese governmental expectations, and the stress decreases life satisfaction. The stress, fortunately, does not directly reduce labor productivity. Although telework increases happiness and work satisfaction, these factors do not influence labor productivity. Third, this study clarifies that telework is more efficient for improving labor productivity if workers commute more than 1 h or commute by trains or buses that are usually very crowded during rush hours in Japan. Finally, the effect of telework for workers who have a greater number of potential trivial duties is insignificantly larger. Supervisors and colleagues often ask others to perform trivial, extra tasks without regard for schedules. Telework may help workers avoid such trivial duties and increase labor productivity. However, the importance of trivial duties is also demonstrated in this study. •Appropriate telework hours increase labor productivity.•Telework increases life satisfaction, and life satisfaction improves productivity.•However, telework increases the stress of balancing work and domestic chores.•Telework is more efficient for workers who commute for a long duration by train.•Telework has a larger impact on workers who tend to be interrupted at work.