Teleworking is a topic which has been the subject of research attention in transport studies for many years. Particular consideration has been given to occasional homeworking by (full-time, paid) employees on the basis that this can represent a very tangible removal of commute trips on homeworking days. However, there has been very little recognition of or attention given to the fact that homeworking may not only be undertaken for part of a week but may be undertaken for parts of given days. This paper focuses particularly upon part-day homeworking. It defines and uses the term varied spatio-temporal (VST) working to describe working days where at least 30 minutes of continuous working takes place at home accompanied by work taking place at the workplace. Notably, such homeworking does not remove the commute trips but can temporally displace one or both of them. The research reported in the paper builds upon preceding survey work which had established that the number of people VST working and the number of VST days worked appear to be about double that for full-day homeworking (which has typically been the focus of research attention). The results in this paper are based on 25 in-depth interviews with individuals who practice VST working. The papers aim is to more closely examine and understand the nature of VST working, the motivations and constraints for it being practiced and to consider its potential contribution as a transportation demand management measure.
Abstract