Abstract
In designing travel behavior surveys, the problem is to define “work,” “home,” and similar words that are commonly used in our language but which have acquired a plethora of associated meanings. The difficulty has not been resolved by the many new terms coined to describe non-traditional ways to work. Such words as “telecommuting,” “teleworking,” “at-home work,” “hoteling,” “homebased business,” “road warriors” and “mobile workers,” lack any agreed-upon definitions yet they are used in common parlance as if they did. These new workstyles are of interest to travel planners because they may involve trip reduction. To forecast just how much trip reduction will occur, behavior needs to be measured by objective criteria.
To avoid definitional traps, we recommend phrasing questions in terms of measurable variables such as the place of work and the time in days and hours spent at each location. That approach leaves researchers the option of applying their own definitions that fit the context of their analyses. Thus, rather than ask “How many days a week do you telecommute?” the more precise question can be asked: “How many days last week did you work at home instead of going to your usual work location?” This approach has the advantage that information gathered over years can be used unambiguously in various contexts. Definitions can be applied at the point of analysis.
This paper illustrates errors and confusion that can arise from casually worded surveys using examples from private and public surveys. The author proposes a set of core questions with four levels of priority for consideration in designing future surveys of travel behavior.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Christensen K (1985) Women Who Work at Home: An Invisible Labor Force Made Visible. Center for Human Environments Working Paper 90-PD-01. New York City University of New York Graduate Center.
Handy SL & Mokhtarian PL (1995) Planning for telecommuting: Measurement and policy issues. Journal of the American Planning Association 61(1): 99-111.
Handy SL & Mokhtarian PL (1996) Forecasting telecommuting: An exploration of methodologies and research needs. Transportation 23: 163-190.
Huws U, Korte WB & Robinson S (1990) Telework: Towards the Elusive Office. John Wiley and Sons.
Kraut RE (1988) Homework: What is it and who does it? In: Christensen KE (ed) The New Era of Home-Based Work: Directions and Policies (pp 30-48). Boulder: Westview Press.
Lamond D, Daniels K & Standen P (1997) Defining telework: What is it exactly? In: '97 Second International Workshop on Telework, Vol. I (pp 177-187). Amsterdam: WORC Report 97.08.004.
Mokhtarian PL (1991) Defining telecommuting. Transportation Research Record 1305: 273-281.
Niles JS (1994) Beyond Telecommuting: A New Paradigm for the Effect of Telecommunications on Travel. 1994.
Nilles JM (1988) Traffic reduction by telecommuting: A status review and selected bibliography. Transportation Research A 22A(4): 301-317.
Olson M (1988) Organizational barriers to telework. In: Korte WB, Robinson S & Steinle W (eds) Telework: Present Situation and Future Development of a New Form of Work Organization.
Pratt JH (1985) Measurement and Evaluation of the Population of Family-Owned Businesses and Home-Based Businesses. Washington: US Small Business Administration. National Technical Information Service, US Department of Commerce Order Number PB87114237CBV.
Pratt JH (1986) Working at Home: Challenge for Federal Policy and Statistics. Symposium Proceedings. Washington: US Small Business Administration.
Pratt JH (1987) Methodological problems in surveying the home-based workforce. Technological Forecasting and Social Change 31: 49-60.
Pratt JH (1988) Socio-technical issues related to home-based work. In: Helander M (ed) Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
Pratt JH (1993) Myths and Realities of Working at Home: Characteristics of Homebased Business Owners and Telecommuters. Washington: US Small Business Aministration.
Pratt JH (1997) Counting the New Mobile Workforce. Washington: US Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Salomon I (1994) How much telecommuting should we count on? A forecast for Tel-Aviv in 2020. Transportation Research Record 1463: 26-34.
Sims W, Joroff M & Becker F (1996) Managing the Reinvented Workplace. Norcross: International Development Research Foundation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Pratt, J.H. Asking the right questions about telecommuting: Avoiding pitfalls in surveying homebased work. Transportation 27, 99–116 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005288112292
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005288112292