The Ecology of the Mobile Worker
Excerpt 1
- Mobile Work and Time/Activity Patterns
Becker, F., Quinn, K. L., & Callentine, L.
U. (1995). The Ecology of the Mobile Worker. Ithaca, NY:
Cornell University International Workplace Studies Program.
This research assessed the effects on the sales
force of a large American computer company of adopting a mobile
workplace strategy in which sales staff could choose to work at
home, a telework center with nonterritorial workstations, or at
their customer's. We wanted to better understand how demographic
characteristics of the employees affected their response to the
mobile work approach; and also how they actually worked, in terms
of time/activity and communication patterns.
The most productive work hours for all employees
tended to be in the normal working hour range of 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
However, almost 40% of the 105 respondents found non-traditional
hours to be productive (see below).
Almost 40% of the respondents reported their most
effective work time to be outside the traditional 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. workday.
Figure 11: Most productive work hours.
The most productive work setting was reported to
be the home environment. Users cited fewer interruptions and better
concentration at home as explanations for why they preferred this
environment. Surprisingly, there were no significant differences
for household composition, home workspace, or gender.
Figure 13: Overall work effectiveness.
