Location, Location, Location: Does Place of Work Really Matter?

• Published in: British journal of management Vol. 20; no. s1; pp. S171 - S181
• Main Authors: Redman, Tom, Snape, Ed, Ashurst, Colin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.03.2009
• Subjects: Attitudes to work; Career development; Employee attitude; Employees; Homeworking; Impact analysis; Location of enterprises; Management science; Organizational behavior; Perceptions; Studies; Surveys; Work at home; Work place; Work-life balance; Working conditions
• ISSN: 1045-3172; 1467-8551
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8551.2008.00640.x

This paper examines the work attitudes of home‐ and office‐based workers. A review of the existing literature finds both pessimistic and optimistic accounts of the impact of homeworking on employee attitudes and behaviours. Drawing on a survey of 749 managerial and professional employees in knowledge‐intensive industries, the study finds more support for the optimistic perspective. The findings suggest that homeworking is positively associated with employee well‐being and a more balanced work–home relationship. There is no evidence that organizational citizenship behaviours are reduced by homeworking but there is some support for homeworking undermining employees' perception of the organization as supporting their careers and personal development.