Abstract:
lest current work arrangements still bear the imprint of the industrial revolution,
Imployees mainly transact their time, rather than their products, with employing
rms. The era of Information Technology compelled firms to unbind the time and the
ask from the place. Telecommuting is the method of unbinding the time and the task
or the place. It allows the work to be carried out anywhere at any time allowing
mployees to be more flexible. Recent advances in mobile broadband have made
working f r om anywhere at any time more realistic than ever before.
ele commuting is not a new concept. It has its roots in late 70's. There have been a
number of studies conducted in this area, in the international arena and some
over ments even promote telecommuting as a solution to reduce the road traffic and
Envernmental pollution. Telecommuting is not limited to providing one or more
solution to social matters, but it provides benefits for both individuals as well as
organizations Increased productivity is one of the many benefits it provides to
organizations. It been reported that telecommuting increases individual
productivity in other countries but there are not many studies conducted in the Sri
ankan context. This research focuses on whether telecommuting really increases the
dividual productivity.
information technology professionals who are employed in IT organizations are
elected as the focus group in this research. This sector will be the most at ease with
formation technology and have a better chance of telecommuting due to the nature
:f their job. The research has used hypotheses and collected data from IT
"rofessiorals via the web published questionnaire. The research used the valid
esponses received from IT professionals in its analysis.
the study result indicates a clear increase in productivity of IT professionals when
hey ele commute. There is about on average 20vi increase in overall productivity due
o telecommuting according to the research findings. Most of the productivity
envernmental is due to the increase in output due to either IT professionals spending
Tore time on their work, or because their efficiency has increased due to
ele commuting.
