Employee Loyalty and Telecommuting

Telecommuting has become an increasingly popular work arrangement. However, little research has examined the impact of telecommuting on the relationship between employees and the organization. This study aims to shed light on this aspect by comparing the loyalty of telecommuters and non telecommuters as it can be viewed from three angles: organizational loyalty, peer loyalty, and professional loyalty. Furthermore, this paper will explore the dynamics among employee loyalty, productivity, and job satisfaction. Whereas previous studies had looked on employees that are not fully telecommuting, the current study concentrates on employees that are exclusively working from home.

Authors:

• Dr. Wendy Wang
• Dr. Sigalit Ronen

Keywords:

• loyalty
• productivity
• satisfaction
• telecommuting

References:

[1] F. Belanger and R.W. Collins, "Distributed Work Arrangements: A
Research Framework," The Information Society, vol.14, pp. 137-152,
2001.
[2] F. Belanger, "Workers- Propensity to Telecommute: An Empirical
Study," Information and Management, vol. 35, pp. 139-153, 1998.
[3] J.M. Nilles, Making telecommuting Happen. Van Nostrand Reinhold,
New York, 1994.
[4] N.B. Kurland and T.D. Egan, "Telecommuting: Justice and Control in
the Virtual Organization," Organization Science, vol. 10(4), pp. 500-
513, July/August, 1999.
[5] F.F. Reichheld, R.G. Markey, and C, Hopton, "The Loyalty Effect - the
Relationship between Loyalty and Profits," European Business
Journal, pp. 134-139, 2000.
[6] P.M. Podsakoff, S.B. MacKenzie, J.B.Paine, and D.G. Bachrach,
"Organizational Citizenship Behaviors: A Critical Review of the
Theoretical and Empirical Literature and Suggestions for Future
Research," Journal of Management,vol. 26(3), pp.513-563, 2000.
[7] L.R. Jauch and U, Sekaran, "Employee Orientation and Job Satisfaction
Among Professional Employees in Hospitals," Journal of Management,
vol. 4(43), pp. 43-56, 1978.
[8] H. Mustafa and R.D. Sylvia, "Factor-analysis Approach to Job
Satisfaction," Public Personnel Management, vol.18, pp. 623-630, 1975.
[9] A. Gouldner, "Cosmopolitans and Locals: Towards an Analysis of
Latent Social Roles," Administrative Science Quarterly, vol.2(4), pp.
444-480, March 1958.
[10] R. Merton, Social Theory and Social Structure Glencoe, Ill.: Free Press,
1957.
[11] M. Maccoby, Why work, New York: Simon & Schuster, 1985.
[12] J. Haughey, "Does Loyalty in the Workplace have a future?" Business
Ethics Quarterly, vol. 3(1),pp.1-16, 1993.
[13] A. Ishikawa and E.F. Sudit, "Selective Sequential Zero-Based Budgeting
Procedures Based on Total Factor Productivity Indicators," Management
Science, vol. 27(5), pp. 534-546, May 1981.
[14] I. Harpaz, I, "Advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting for the
individual, organization, and society," Work Study, vol. 51(2/3), pp. 74-
80, 2002.
[15] J.J. Chapman, N.P. Sheeney, S, Heywood, B. Dooley, and S.C. Collins,
"The Organizational Implications of Telecommuting," C.L. Cooper, I.T.
Robertson, eds., International Review of Industrial and organizational
Psychology. vol.10. Wiley, New York, 1995.