IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/iza/izadps/dp15190.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Disentangling the Attractiveness of Telework to Employees: A Factorial Survey Experiment

Author

Listed:
  • Moens, Eline

    (Ghent University)

  • Verhofstadt, Elsy

    (Ghent University)

  • Van Ootegem, Luc

    (Ghent University)

  • Baert, Stijn

    (Ghent University)

Abstract

This research adds to the literature on the attractiveness of telework to employees. To this end, we set up an innovative factorial survey experiment in which a high-quality sample of employees evaluates job offers with diverging characteristics, among which a wide variation in telework possibilities. We find that the relationship between the possibility to telework and job attractiveness is approximately linear: 10 percentage points more telework hours yield a rise of 2.2 percentage points in job attractiveness and, therefore, the willingness to give up an increase of 2.3 percentage points in wage in the new job. Our experimental design also allows us to investigate the underlying mechanisms of this relationship as well as its moderators. We find that the attractiveness of telework is particularly explained by expectations of an improved work-life balance, more work scheduling autonomy, a higher job satisfaction, and more work methods autonomy in jobs with a greater possibility to telework. In addition, our analyses show that less conscientious employees are on average more attracted to jobs with greater telework possibilities, so that it is important that self-selection in jobs with more telework is well-monitored.

Suggested Citation

  • Moens, Eline & Verhofstadt, Elsy & Van Ootegem, Luc & Baert, Stijn, 2022. "Disentangling the Attractiveness of Telework to Employees: A Factorial Survey Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 15190, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15190
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp15190.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Haoran He & David Neumark & Qian Weng, 2021. "Do Workers Value Flexible Jobs? A Field Experiment," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 39(3), pages 709-738.
    2. Anne Aguiléra & Virginie Lethiais & Alain Rallet & Laurent Proulhac, 2016. "Home-based telework in France: Characteristics, barriers and perspectives," Post-Print hal-01369611, HAL.
    3. Nicole Maestas & Kathleen J. Mullen & David Powell & Till von Wachter & Jeffrey B. Wenger, 2023. "The Value of Working Conditions in the United States and the Implications for the Structure of Wages," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 113(7), pages 2007-2047, July.
    4. Louis Lippens & Eline Moens & Philippe Sterkens & Johannes Weytjens & Stijn Baert, 2021. "How do employees think the COVID-19 crisis will affect their careers?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(5), pages 1-19, May.
    5. Claudia Pigini & Stefano Staffolani, 2019. "Teleworkers in Italy: who are they? Do they make more?," International Journal of Manpower, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 40(2), pages 265-285, February.
    6. Aguilera, Anne & Lethiais, Virginie & Rallet, Alain & Proulhac, Laurent, 2016. "Home-based telework in France: Characteristics, barriers and perspectives," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 1-11.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Masayuki Morikawa, 2024. "Productivity dynamics of work from home: Firm-level evidence from Japan," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 465-487, April.
    2. Gavoille, Nicolas & Hazans, Mihails, 2022. "Personality Traits, Remote Work and Productivity," IZA Discussion Papers 15486, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jinjia Liang & Tomio Miwa & Takayuki Morikawa, 2023. "Preferences and Expectations of Japanese Employees toward Telecommuting Frequency in the Post-Pandemic Era," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-16, August.
    2. Desiere, Sam & Walter, Christian, 2023. "The Shift Premium: Evidence from a Discrete Choice Experiment," IZA Discussion Papers 16460, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Becky P. Y. Loo & Bo Wang, 2018. "Factors associated with home-based e-working and e-shopping in Nanjing, China," Transportation, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 365-384, March.
    4. Piotr Lewandowski & Katarzyna Lipowska & Mateusz Smoter, 2022. "Mismatch in preferences for working from home – evidence from discrete choice experiments with workers and employers," IBS Working Papers 05/2022, Instytut Badan Strukturalnych.
    5. Kuan-Ming Chen & Claire Ding & John A. List & Magne Mogstad, 2020. "Reservation Wages and Workers’ Valuation of Job Flexibility: Evidence from a Natural Field Experiment," NBER Working Papers 27807, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Hirte, Georg & Laes, Renée & Gerike, Regine, 2023. "Working from self-driving cars," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    7. Clemens, Jeffrey, 2019. "Making Sense of the Minimum Wage: A Roadmap for Navigating Recent Research," MPRA Paper 94324, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Hirte, Georg & Laes, Renée, 2022. "Working from self-driving cars," CEPIE Working Papers 01/22, Technische Universität Dresden, Center of Public and International Economics (CEPIE).
    9. Zhang, Shihang & Moeckel, Rolf & Moreno, Ana Tsui & Shuai, Bin & Gao, Jie, 2020. "A work-life conflict perspective on telework," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 51-68.
    10. Caulfield, Brian & Charly, Anna, 2022. "Examining the potential environmental and travel time saved benefits of remote working hubs," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 139-147.
    11. Maha Aziz-Ur-Rehman & Danish Ahmed Siddiqui, 2020. "Relationship Between Flexible Working Arrangements and Job Satisfaction Mediated by Work-Life Balance: Evidence From Public Sector Universities’ Employees of Pakistan," International Journal of Human Resource Studies, Macrothink Institute, vol. 10(1), pages 104127-1041, December.
    12. SURUGIU, Marius & SURUGIU, Camelia & MAZILESCU, Raluca, 2018. "ICTs AND EMPLOYMENT: NEW OPPORTUNITIES ON THE LABOUR MARKET," Annals of Spiru Haret University, Economic Series, Universitatea Spiru Haret, vol. 18(2), pages 117-141.
    13. Guillaume Gueguen & Claudia Senik, 2023. "Adopting telework: The causal impact of working from home on subjective well‐being," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(4), pages 832-868, December.
    14. Anne Aguiléra & Eléonore Pigalle, 2021. "The Future and Sustainability of Carpooling Practices. An Identification of Research Challenges," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-16, October.
    15. Jeworrek, Sabrina & Brachert, Matthias, 2022. "Where to go? High-skilled individuals' regional preferences," IWH Discussion Papers 27/2022, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH).
    16. Alexandre Mas & Amanda Pallais, 2020. "Alternative Work Arrangements," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 12(1), pages 631-658, August.
    17. Minh Hieu Nguyen, 2021. "Factors influencing home-based telework in Hanoi (Vietnam) during and after the COVID-19 era," Transportation, Springer, vol. 48(6), pages 3207-3238, December.
    18. Laura Abrardi & Elena Grinza & Alessandro Manello & Flavio Porta, 2024. "Work from home arrangements and organizational performance in Italian SMEs: evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 67(6), pages 2821-2863, December.
    19. Jose Alberto Lara-Pulido & Adan L. Martinez-Cruz, 2023. "Stated benefits of teleworking in Mexico City: a discrete choice experiment on office workers," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(5), pages 1743-1807, October.
    20. Beňo, Michal, 2022. "Estimating E-workability Components Across Central European Countries," AGRIS on-line Papers in Economics and Informatics, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Faculty of Economics and Management, vol. 14(3), September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    factorial survey experiment; job attractiveness; telework;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J81 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Working Conditions
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15190. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Holger Hinte (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/izaaade.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.