Strategies for successful telework: How effective employees manage work/home boundaries

Abstract

Purpose
This paper aims to 1) identify strategies used by successful teleworkers to create and maintain boundaries between work and home, and 2) determine how these strategies relate to employee preferences for segmentation or integration of work and home.

Design/methodology/approach
Forty in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with employees working from home either occasionally (occasional teleworkers), between 20-50% of the workweek (partial teleworkers), or the majority of the time (full teleworkers).

Findings
Teleworkers use physical, temporal, behavioural and communicative strategies to recreate boundaries similar to those found in office environments. While teleworkers can generally develop strategies that align boundaries to their preferences for segmentation or integration, employees with greater job autonomy and control are better able to do so.

Research limitations/implications
A limitation of this research is its potential lack of generalizability to teleworkers in organizations with “always-on” cultures, who may experience greater pressure to allow work to permeate the home boundary.

Practical implications
These findings can encourage organizations to proactively assess employee preferences for boundary permeability before entering a teleworking arrangement. The boundary management tactics identified can be used to provide teleworkers struggling to establish comfortable boundaries with tangible ideas to regulate interactions between home and work.

Originality/value
This research makes a significant contribution to practitioner literature by applying a boundary management framework to the practice of teleworking, which is being adopted by organizations with increasing frequency.

Full text

Strategic HR Review
Strategies for successful telework: how effective employees manage work/home boundaries
Kelly A. Basile T. Alexandra Beauregard
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To cite this document:
Kelly A. Basile T. Alexandra Beauregard , (2016),"Strategies for successful telework: how effective employees manage work/
home boundaries", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 15 Iss 3 pp. 106 - 111
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Strategies for successful telework: how
effective employees manage work/home
boundaries
Kelly A. Basile and T. Alexandra Beauregard
Kelly A. Basile is
Research Associate at
the Department of
Management, London
School of Economics and
Political Science, London,
UK.
T. Alexandra Beauregard
is Associate Professor in
Human Resource
Management at the
Department of
Leadership, Work and
Organisations, Middlesex
University Business
School, London, UK.
Abstract
Purpose –This paper aims to identify strategies used by successful teleworkers to create and maintain
boundaries between work and home, and to determine how these strategies relate to employee
preferences for segmentation or integration of work and home.
Design/methodology/approach –Forty in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with
employees working from home either occasionally (occasional teleworkers), between 20 and 50 per
cent of the workweek (partial teleworkers), or the majority of the time (full teleworkers).
Findings –Teleworkers use physical, temporal, behavioral and communicative strategies to recreate
boundaries similar to those found in office environments. Although teleworkers can generally develop
strategies that align boundaries to their preferences for segmentation or integration, employees with
greater job autonomy and control are better able to do so.
Research limitations/implications –A limitation of this research is its potential lack of generalizability
to teleworkers in organizations with “always-on” cultures, who may experience greater pressure to allow
work to permeate the home boundary.
Practical implications –These findings can encourage organizations to proactively assess employee
preferences for boundary permeability before entering a teleworking arrangement. The boundary
management tactics identified can be used to provide teleworkers struggling to establish comfortable
boundaries with tangible ideas to regulate interactions between home and work.
Originality/value –This research makes a significant contribution to practitioner literature by applying
a boundary management framework to the practice of teleworking, which is being adopted by
organizations with increasing frequency.
Keywords Work-life balance, Telework, Boundary management, Homeworking, Telecommuting
Paper type Research paper
Telework as HR strategy
Despite high-publicity efforts from Yahoo!, HP and Best Buy to reduce the incidence of
their employees working from home, telework is increasingly offered by employers. By
enabling individuals to reduce commuting time and fit non-work demands more easily
around their work activities, telework helps to attract and retain high-quality talent,
contributing to a diverse workforce that includes caregivers, older employees and
workers with disabilities (Beauregard et al., 2013). By permitting employees to spend
time away from the office to focus uninterrupted on tasks requiring higher levels of
concentration, organizations can increase both the quality and quantity of their outputs.
By reducing the requirement for dedicated office space and eliminating geographical
restrictions on employee location, telework allows organizations to cut costs and build
capability for flexibility and agility. Human resources (HR) has an important role to play
in ensuring that the telework experience is positive for employees and organizations,
and a key element involves preparing staff to work effectively in their home
environment.
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Boundaries between work and home
When work and home activities take place in the same physical space, physical, temporal
and psychological boundaries between work and home can become blurred. For instance,
research has found that teleworkers often work longer hours (Harker Martin and
MacDonnell, 2012). This is due in part to the presence of work-related materials in the home
that may prompt employees to continue working rather than spend time on personal or
family pursuits. Boundaries are mental constructions of the borders between activities,
such as work and personal life, and employees vary in the extent to which they prefer to
keep these activities separate (segmentation) or have them overlap (integration) (Clark,
2000). Those preferring segmentation would ideally enact strong boundaries, which are
less permeable: activities in one domain are less likely to be interrupted by activities from
another. Employees who prefer integration of work and home activities are more likely to
favor weaker, more permeable boundaries.
A limited but growing body of research examines strategies that employees use to manage
boundaries between work and home. Four categories have been proposed: physical,
behavioral, time-based and communicative tactics (Kreiner et al., 2009). Teleworking
presents a unique challenge to boundary management because many of the traditional
physical and time-based boundaries associated with office environments are absent. The
present research seeks to identify strategies used by successful teleworkers to create and
maintain work/home boundaries, and to determine how these strategies relate to
teleworkers’ preferences for segmentation or integration of work and home activities. The
study setting was a large public-sector organization in the UK, whose longstanding
telework program yields participants with above-average productivity ratings compared to
their office-based counterparts. Forty in-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted
with employees working from home either occasionally (occasional teleworkers), between
20 and 50 per cent of the workweek (partial teleworkers), or the majority of the time (full
teleworkers).
What types of boundary strategies do successful teleworkers use?
The interviews yielded evidence that teleworkers employ physical, time-based, behavioral
and communicative strategies for managing boundaries between work and home.
Physical strategies
I am one of the lucky ones, I actually have a dedicated office. I’ve got a door and a lock. So I
didn’t have to do the mental changing of shoes, it’s a case of switching my computer off and
closing the door. I know some of my colleagues have a work space in their living room. It is
switching off the phone and all those stress factors of having it in plain sight. I don’t have that.
(Sarah, full teleworker)
The most commonly reported method for those working from home for the majority of the
workweek was recreating the physical boundary of an office environment by designating
areas for work activities. Teleworkers without the ability to create separate space for work
activities often struggled. Work-related materials occupied space used by family members
on a daily basis and hindered employees’ efforts to “switch off” and devote their full
attention to non-work commitments outside of work hours:
‘‘By permitting employees to spend time away from the office
to focus uninterrupted on tasks requiring higher levels of
concentration, organizations can increase both the quality
and quantity of their outputs.’’
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So I worked in the dining room for two years. [. . .] I had to convince my new wife-to-be that it
was a good idea. So for two years whilst we had dinner, tea, lunch, the computers and my files
sat next to us. It was far from ideal especially if the children had time off. (Henry, full teleworker)
Time-based strategies
I have dogs to walk. So there is always at least a natural break around five o’clock where I meet
up with friends and we walk the dogs. So that signals that it is the end of the working day for me.
It doesn’t mean to say that is when I elect to stop working but it does give me that focus of, “this
is the end of the day”. (Kate, partial teleworker)
Although many of the teleworkers often worked beyond their contracted hours, most still
developed tactics to create boundaries between working time and home time. These
tactics frequently involved commitments to other people, either imposed – as with
teleworkers whose end of the working day was signaled by children returning home after
school – or self-initiated, as with employees who arranged to meet others at an appointed
time on a daily basis. Being accountable to others appears to produce stronger boundaries
than being accountable only to oneself.
Behavioral strategies
I wouldn’t answer the phone after close of business time because the danger with that is then
that people think you are available 24/7 and those calls become later and later and later. I
actually switch the phone off so that I am not even tempted to hear it. (Kate, partial teleworker)
Behavioral strategies were primarily related to the use of information and communications
technology (ICT). Often, these mimicked routines that might be found in an office
environment: logging off computer systems, shutting down one’s laptop, turning off the
ringer on work-issued phones. Removing the temptation to check messages or pick up
work tasks after hours helped teleworkers demarcate work and non-work periods of time.
Communicative strategies
I have to have a rule with my children that if they are at home and I am working then they have
to knock on the door and then if they come in to the room and they see I am on the telephone
they just don’t start babbling away. That can be a very hard lesson for them to learn. (Jack, full
teleworker)
Teleworkers also reinforced boundaries between work/non-work activities by using
communicative tactics. Many of these involved setting expectations with spouses and
children about issues such as household noise and the use of space designated for work
activities. Family members sometimes used communicative tactics themselves to
introduce or reinforce boundaries when teleworkers allowed work activities to extend
beyond their purview:
I only get around to taking a lunch break because my husband comes up and goes, “eat some
food”. He literally physically removes me from my seat and sends me on my way down so we
have something to eat but that’s because I become focused and I have no track of time at all,
absolutely no track of time. (Imogen, full teleworker)
I suppose the other thing is your personal support network. I happen to be married to someone
who gives me a severe telling off if I switch the Blackberry on over the weekend. (Mohammed,
occasional teleworker) (Table I)
‘‘Teleworkers without the ability to create separate space for
work activities often struggled.’’
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How do teleworkers’ preferences for integration or segmentation of work and
home activities influence their boundary management strategies?
Although teleworkers often experience blurred boundaries due to the elimination of
physical demarcations between home and work, findings from these interviews suggest
that effective teleworkers may develop strategies that align their enacted boundaries to
their preferences for integration or segmentation:
I just prefer that way of working [segmentation]. So if I am enjoying myself in my private life I
don’t want work to encroach on that but similarly if I am concentrating on work I don’t want to
be taken away from that. That is just how I am. Some people don’t like flitting. I like boundaries.
(Rachael, partial teleworker)
I am a butterfly. I go backwards and forwards. I quite like that actually, switch on, switch off.
(Charlie, occasional teleworker)
Perceived levels of job-related autonomy and schedule control helped teleworkers align
their enacted boundaries to their preferences. Teleworkers reporting greater autonomy and
control over their work agenda were better able to implement integration or segmentation
strategies to match their boundary management preferences:
I liked the quiet of working from home and the fact that it was easier to plan your day out. [. . .]
[I]f you’d got to a point of well I’ve had enough for now, I really do need to take a break, you
could take that break but still come back and get your work done. (Kate, partial teleworker)
To a certain extent it could still be if I chose, maybe, to have a long lunch hour on a Friday
afternoon and then do some work on a Saturday morning but it would be my choice. (Grace,
partial teleworker)
These findings support the idea that individual differences are a core determinant of
boundary management styles. Recognition of individual differences is important because
research by Kreiner (2006) demonstrates that higher congruence between boundary
preference and ability to enact that preference can lead to better outcomes for employees,
including reduced work-life conflict and stress, and higher job satisfaction. The
organization in the present study did not have a long-hours culture, and teleworkers were
generally able to enact their preferred boundary management style. In organizations where
after-hours communications, early meetings and weekend working are the norm,
employees preferring segmentation will have difficulty establishing and maintaining
boundaries between work and personal time. Any ensuing misalignment can produce
negative psychological and attitudinal outcomes for these individuals and ultimately for
their employer.
Table I Effective boundary management strategies
Work/home boundary management
strategies Examples of tactics
Physical Dedicated work space in separate room
Closing door between work space and living space
Separate computers and/or phones for work and
personal use
Time-based Finishing work when children return home from
school
Walking dogs at the same time every day
Making appointments to meet friends at end of day
Behavioral Shutting down computer
Turning off phone
Not entering work space during non-work time
Communicative Setting expectations with family members regarding
interruptions during working time
Setting expectations with colleagues or clients
regarding contactability after working hours
Family members enforcing limits on working time
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Implications for HR
This paper highlights the important effect of boundary management strategies on
teleworking experiences by demonstrating how boundary management tactics can reduce
the permeability of work/home boundaries. Whereas popular jokes about working in one’s
pyjamas suggest that teleworkers’ personal lives frequently interrupt working time,
research consistently demonstrates that the danger lies in work activities spilling over into
home time. What can HR do to better prepare employees to work from home?:
1. Proactive assessment of employee preferences for boundary permeability and the
demands and resources associated with their work and home environments can flag
potential problems prior to entering a telework arrangement:
HR can then design interventions such as training for effective telework, using the
boundary management tactics identified in the present study as suggested
strategies for new teleworkers, or implement a trial period during which new
teleworkers are coached through their new working arrangement.
2. The strategies identified in this paper can be used prescriptively by HR to assist
teleworkers who are struggling to establish comfortable boundaries:
These strategies can provide teleworkers with tangible ideas to regulate the
interaction between home and work.
3. Building autonomy into teleworkers’ jobs, along with greater control over their work
schedules, will empower employees to create and maintain boundaries that fit their
personal preferences for integration or segmentation of work and home activities:
Given the increased job satisfaction and well-being associated with alignment
between boundary preferences and boundary enactment, a “good fit” scenario will
help organizations reap the full benefits that telework can bring to staff retention and
productivity rates.
Conclusion
Successful teleworking has established effects on retention and productivity (Harker Martin
and MacDonnell, 2012), yielding measurable benefits for the bottom line. As ICT continues
to develop, the prevalence of telework will only grow. By applying a boundary management
framework to the practice of teleworking, this research identifies ways in which HR can
better prepare employees to participate in this form of flexible working and thus better reap
the benefits of a diverse and agile workforce.
References
Beauregard, T.A., Basile, K.A. and Canonico, E. (2013), “Home is where the work is: a new study of
homeworking in Acas – and beyond”, Acas Research Paper Ref. 10/13, Acas, London.
Clark, S.C. (2000), “Work/family border theory: a new theory of work/family balance”, Human Relations,
Vol. 53 No. 6, pp. 747-770.
Harker Martin, B. and MacDonnell, R. (2012), “Is telework effective for organizations? A meta-analysis
of empirical research on perceptions of telework and organizational outcomes”, Management
Research Review, Vol. 35 No. 7, pp. 602-616.
‘‘This paper highlights the important effect of boundary
management strategies on teleworking experiences by
demonstrating how boundary management tactics can
reduce the permeability of work/home boundaries.’’
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Kreiner, G.E. (2006), “Consequences of work-home segmentation or integration: a person-environment
fit perspective”, Journal of Organizational Behavior, Vol. 27 No. 4, pp. 485-507.
Kreiner, G.E., Hollensbe, E.C. and Sheep, M.L. (2009), “Balancing borders and bridges: negotiating
the work-home interface via boundary work tactics”, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 52 No. 4,
pp. 704-730.
About the authors
Kelly Basile holds a PhD in Organizational Behavior from the London School of Economics
and Political Science. Her research interests focus on the boundary conditions between
work and non-work activities, as well as more recently on global leadership. She currently
is engaged in a global, multi-method research project with senior leaders within a leading
multinational technology organization. In addition to her academic research experience,
Kelly worked in commercial research and consulting for over a decade, and she was
involved in the design and implementation of hundreds of qualitative and quantitative
research projects across a range of public and private industry sectors.
T. Alexandra Beauregard holds a PhD in Employment Relations from the London School of
Economics and Political Science and is currently an Associate Professor in Human
Resource Management at Middlesex University Business School. Her research focuses on
work-life balance, flexible work arrangements and diversity management in organizations.
In addition to her teaching and research at Middlesex, Alexandra carries out consultancy
projects on work-life issues and gender equality for both private- and public-sector
organizations. Alexandra’s work is published in scholarly journals, edited books and
practitioner outlets, and she enjoys speaking at both academic conferences and
practitioner events. T. Alexandra Beauregard is the corresponding author and can be
contacted at: a.beauregard@mdx.ac.uk
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