Mobile Teleworking – Its Effects on Work/Life Balance, a Case Study from Austria

Abstract

The nature of work, including how, where and when it is done, is changing rapidly these days. Employees are constantly engaging in modern ICT that permits them to work anywhere, at any time and in any way. Remote working, mobile working, flexible schedules and compressed workweeks are some of the many work adjustments or combinations of adjustments in use in different companies worldwide. ICT naturally reduces the need for physical mobility in a globalised world by means of telepresence and videoconferencing in the face of globalisation, which increases the physical mobility needs (consumerism, offshoring, global sourcing and others). Generally, it was found that work/life balance policies are a remarkable tool for the improvement of performance, high productivity, morale and commitment. The aim of this paper is to analyse the initial issue of mobile teleworking as a problem for work/life balance in an international sports company. The method used is Skype interviews with 12 mobile teleworkers. There is gender equality (six males and six females). The main objectives are to understand if issues in the work/life balance are obstacles to mobile working, in addition whether this kind of work is becoming more common and is expanding, and lastly if mobile telework intensifies the delimitation of work and life. Our results show that mobile teleworking involves readiness to travel and is equated with a high level of autonomy in work and self-discipline. Further, work/life balance is endangered by high mobility, which can be decreased when customers are educated. Moreover, mobile life is not a long-term option, and mobile life is a suitable tool to fit in with family arrangements. Generally, focus on work content is more important than the workplace.