A Descriptive Analysis of Remote Work Adoption in the United States

Abstract

Advances in information and communications technology have enabled organizations to shift traditional work functions away from place or where work is accomplished to how work is accomplished (i.e., task facilitation). With the rise in remote work, there was a need to describe the adoption process by organizations in the United States. Given that the practice of remote work is considered an innovation, this quantitative study was guided by the theory of Diffusion of Innovations and followed a nonexperimental design with a correlational analysis, collecting cross-sectional data from a sample of organizational leaders in the United States (N = 1,259). Results describe where organizations range in the innovation-decision process of remote work adoption and categorize organizations based on innovativeness. This research demonstrates the role of COVID-19 in precipitating organizations’ rapid implementation of remote work during a pandemic. Findings hold implications for leaders deciding whether to adopt remote work as a formal workplace practice and can assist them in making informed operational decisions. Findings also provide Extension professionals with insights into responding to the social and economic consequences of the widespread adoption of remote work with relevant, research-based educational programming in their local communities.