Employees take to teleworking at Rotherham and Doncaster councils: … but organisations mustn't overlook the effect on staff left to “guard the fort”

Abstract

Purpose

Examines teleworking schemes at Rotherham and Doncaster councils, in South Yorkshire, England. Takes account not only of employees actually undertaking teleworking, but also of their office‐bound colleagues.

Design/methodology/approach

Presents some of the conclusions of a two‐year Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)‐funded study into home‐based telework, led by Dr Susanne Tietze, of Bradford University School of Management, with Dr Gill Musson, of the University of Sheffield School of Management, and with Dr Tracy Scurry, of Newcastle upon Tyne University, UK as research fellow.

Findings

Reveals the results of pilot studies conducted to promote understanding of the complexities of this form flexibility and the effects of teleworking on a wide group of organisational stakeholders. Shows that the home‐workers were more productive, had greater feelings of well being, reported improvements in their work‐life balance and a reduction in stress. Colleagues sometimes felt sidelined and ignored, as did at least some of the team leaders who felt left alone in dealing with additional and more complicated co‐ordination tasks and addressing the emotional fall‐out. Points to the importance of running pilot studies to identify potential problems before long‐term implementation.

Practical implications

Serves as a useful reminder to take account of the concerns of employees who are not able to take part in teleworking.

Originality/value

Provides plenty to interest any large organisation considering whether to implement teleworking among at least some of its employees.

Citation

(2006), "Employees take to teleworking at Rotherham and Doncaster councils: … but organisations mustn't overlook the effect on staff left to “guard the fort”", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 14 No. 6, pp. 23-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/09670730610690349