The following publications authored by Joanne Pratt (or co-authored as noted) are grouped by general subject. Scan the entire list to find papers that cover more than one topic. Some citations are hyperlinked either to the full report or abstracts on this and other web sites; others will take you to information on how obtain copies. Selected documents are available in Adobe Acrobat form. If you don't have the Adobe Acrobat reader, click here.

Implementing Telework

Teleworking Comes of Age with Broadband. Telework America Survey 2002, International Telework Association & Council (ITAC), April 2003.

Compared with teleworking employees using dialup, broadband improves virtual teamwork, increases employee telework participation, promotes home office technology and reduces employer costs. Homebased business owners with broadband, access the Internet more frequently than either those with dialup or employees with broadband.
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Telework and Society – Implications for Corporate and Societal Cultures, in Telework: The New Workplace of the 21st Century, U. S. Department of Labor, 2001. Proceedings of the U. S. Department of Labor Symposium on Telework, October 16, 2000. Xavier University, New Orleans, LA.

Telework is a true reorganization of the workplace, both in concept and execution. In this review of the literature, many authors see teleworking as a subset of the new organizations variously called virtual, imaginary, extended, and collaborative organizations. The similarities and differences of telework and virtual teams are described. 
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Cost/benefits of Teleworking to Manage Work/life Responsibilities. 1999 Telework America National Telework Survey for The International Telework Association & Council.

The research, based on a telephone survey of individuals who work at home, found that employers can save $10,000 per teleworker per year from decreased costs of employee absenteeism and retention when employees telework.
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Telework America Workshop 9: Implementing the Program. 1999

Implementing the telework program involves monitoring participation by employees and telemanagers, fine-tuning the teleworking process and developing strategies for adding new teleworkers to compensate for teleworkers who leave the program. Most important, it requires managing change. This article will help you both attend to critical details and step back and review the "Big Picture."
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Maryland Department of Transportation Telework Program Final Report to Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, 1998.

The report describes the implementation process used for a nine-month telework demonstration at the Maryland Department of Transportation, which was funded by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. The successful pilot increased participation from 18 to more than 100 teleworkers. Steps in the process are discussed including "Getting Telework Started," "Embedding Telework as a Way MDOT does Business," "Focus Groups," "Training," "Train-the-Trainer Manual and Workshop," "Status of Telework at Conclusion of Pilot" and "Recommendations for Future Telework."

Telework--Connecting Through Technology: Telemanager-Teleworker Team Training, 1998.

Training manual developed for the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Teleworking Strategies for the Texas Education Agency, 1997.

TEA staff was interviewed to assess opportunities for telework at the Texas Education Agency. The analysis determined that the specific types and patterns of telework can be tailored to meet the needs of each individual work group. The report includes "Recommended Operating Procedures for Telework."

"Teamwork , Trust and Technology," Second International Workshop on Telework, Amsterdam 1997. Work and Organization Research Centre Report 97.08.004

The paper addresses a central issue of teleworking: How is trust established in a dispersed organization? A model is developed to show how communication technologies can be used to provide the feedback that team members need in order to build trust. 
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Telecommuting--Checking Into It, Reverchon Press 1996.

This workbook that will help managers and "wannabe" teleworkers assess whether they and/or their company are good candidates for telecommuting. The book contains quizzes and an outline for writing a business plan that will win permission to telework. 
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Telecommuting: a Handbook to Help You Set Up a Program at Your Company, California Department of Transportation, 1991. (co-author with Elham Shirazi et al.)

The manual is a comprehensive guide to help managers implement telecommuting in their organizations. Steps for getting started are described. A three-part training course and materials are included as well as sample policies and surveys for screening participants. Case histories describe the telecommuting experiences of other organizations.

This manual was also issued under the following title and reprinted by the U. S. Department of Transportation as publication DOT-T-92-04:

Telecommuting: Moving the Work to the Workers, Commuter Transportation Services, 1991. (co-author with Elham Shirazi et al.)

Telecommuting: a Guide for Executives, California Department of Transportation, 1991.

This concise introduction outlines the benefits and questions that top managers need to ask about telecommuting for their companies.

"Travel Behavior Impacts of Telecommuting Following the San Francisco Earthquake: A Case Study," Transportation Research Record No. 1305, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC. 1991.

Interviews with telecommuters and managers in the California Public Utilities Commission revealed telecommuting as a flexible response to a transportation emergency that could be expanded without delay because it was an accepted work mode of that institution. New telecommuters were added, nearly half of whom were continuing to telecommute months after the emergency was over. Thus a short-term modification of behavior stimulated by emergency conditions led to long-term changes in travel behavior.
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Working at Home: Challenge for Federal Policy and Statistics, Symposium Proceedings, Small Business Administration (October 1986).

A one-day symposium was held to (1) assess the interest in homebased work and business issues, (2) review and confirm the best methods for collecting data on homebased work and (3) identify appropriate sources of funding for such an effort.

Participants in this early working symposium -- representing nine government agencies, the Congress, associations, academia and business -- identified many of the questions about telework and policy issues that remain to be answered today.

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Barriers to Telework

"Why Aren’t More People Telecommuting? Explanations from Four Studies," Transportation Forecasting and Travel Behavior, Transportation Research Record, No. 1607. Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC. 1997.
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Legal Barriers to Home-Based Work, National Center for Policy Analysis, 1987.

Legal barriers such as local zoning codes are a deterrent to homebased business formation. Labor laws restrict certain types of homebased work by employees. The study recommends policy and legislative changes that would help encourage work at home. 
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Evaluation of Teleworkers and Programs

Teleworkers, Trips and Telecommunications: Technology drives telework—but does it reduce trips? Transportation Research Record 1817, 58-66, Transportation Planning and Analysis, Transportation Research Board, Washington, DC. 2002.

Work-at-home data from federal and proprietary survey series are analyzed to determine why counts of people who work at home do not agree and to gain new insight into the impact of technology and telecommunications on telework and trip reduction. Questions were added to surveys including the American Housing Survey, Current Population Survey, and Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey by using a piggybacking strategy. The analysis found that the total number of persons who work at home as a percentage of total workers appears to be holding steady at about 16% to 17%. Similarly, the number of employees doing any work at home has not markedly increased. Work at home during the business day has risen sharply, apparently because of the increased availability of personal computers and the Internet in homes, but the rise may be leveling off. The analysis suggests that the occupational groups most likely to increase in numbers and frequency of teleworking are managerial and professional groups and sales. Countertrends that may decrease telework are discussed. The analysis emphasizes the need for consistency in questioning over time and the elimination of the use of jargon from surveys so that trends can be monitored.

Teleworker Attitudes and Work Styles, 1997. Proprietary Report for AT&T. (In association with FIND/SVP.)

This proprietary study confirmed that telework offers employers a family-friendly work style option that helps employees balance their work and personal lives. Eighty percent of telecommuters said that their productivity is the same or higher when working at home and almost no negative effects of telework were reported. The data consistently documented that employees who feel good about their careers, jobs, personal and family lives benefit their employers through their increased productivity, better attitudes and fewer days lost to illness. 
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TRP 2000 Quarterly Report, Evaluation Report for the City/County of Denver

An evaluation of the City/County of Denver TRP 200 transportation reduction program training workshops found that two major barriers may account for the relatively modest achievements in some organizations following training: managers lack the time to develop the draft proposals drafted in class and their organizations lack a commitment to change. Based on the conclusion that attendees needed additional support to carry forward their plans, this study recommends that teleconferences and additional training should be offered.

1995 Telecommute America! Survey of Work at Home (With Thomas E. Miller, FIND/SVP)

Analysis of the 1995 Telecommute America! surveys of work at home showed that the national educational initiative. successfully helped raise awareness of telecommuting. The greatest number of respondents were "wannabe" telecommuters. A striking new finding was that 61 percent of wannabe respondents had never asked for permission to telecommute. They considered the greatest barriers to employers allowing employees to work at home to be management style and lack of trust.

"Telecommuting: Productivity Issues and Results of Pilot Programs," ITCA Yearbook 1994.

The methods used by twelve corporations and public organizations to measure productivity and the reported changes found are described. The analysis includes recommendations for ways to measure productivity in the Information Age.
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Myths and Realities of Working at Home: Characteristics of Homebased Business Owners and Telecommuters, U.S. Small Business Administration, 1993

A sample of more than 17,000 individuals from three National Longitudinal Survey cohorts is used to compare determinants of business success for homebased and non-homebased business owners and to contrast the work patterns, attitudes toward work, and personal and job characteristics of telecommuters relative to employees who do not work at home. 
Data highlights

"Incorporating Portable Offices into a Contingency Plan," Contingency Journal, September/October 1991.

Two organizations used telecommuting to cope with unexpected disasters. When their building burned, Dallas Times Herald managers got the paper published on time by relying on cell phones to coordinate work from home and satellite locations in hotel rooms. 

Because they already were experienced telecommuters, California Public Utilities Commission employees were prepared to immediately begin working at home when the La Prieta earthquake closed the San Francisco Bay Bridge which was their route to work.
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"Socio-Technical Issues Related to Home-Based Work," Handbook of Human-Computer Interaction, Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers, 1988.

This chapter raises issues related to using technology for home-based work. The paper concludes that the technological component, the personal computer, may be only a catalyst of a total transformation of family, work and leisure relationships. 
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Telework Trends - Counting Remote Workers

"Telework Trends in the United States," in Jackson, P., Rapp, B, Eds., Organisation and Work Beyond 2000, Springer-Verlag, 2003.

Telecommuting Forecast for the Austin Metropolitan Area, 1997. (In association with Carter*Burgess and The DeVinny Group.)

The study documents existing levels of telecommuting in the Austin area and projects daily trip reduction by telecommuting in the year 2025 with low, medium and high participation rates and three frequency levels. Recommendations are included for future surveys.

Telecommuting Service Market Research Study, 1994. (Proprietary Report for the Southwestern Bell Telephone Company.)

A proprietary survey and analysis of telecommuting by organizations in Houston, Texas, found that thirty percent of companies interviewed had employees currently telecommuting; 29 percent were considering it as one of their future trip reduction plans.

"Home Teleworking: A Study of its Pioneers," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 25, 1-14, 1984.

Data gathered from interviewing teleworking pioneers supports a generalized model of home teleworkers as individuals who will move in and out of part- or full-time work in home office for intermittent or longer periods of time, as personal situations change. Data suggest an evolution toward increasing home telework as new work patterns slowly develop in response to technological change.
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Surveying Mobile Workers

"Telework: The Latest Figures and what they Mean," in Ramioul, M., Huws, U., and Bollen, A.,   Eds., Measuring the Information Society, 213-229. Hoger Instituut voor de Arbeid, Leuven, Belgium 2005

Three years' study by an international team resulted in a broadening of the concept of telework. Several chapters, including the one cited, update telework incidence in Hungary, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, the U.K. and the U.S. and recommend methodology for surveying eWork. Sample survey questions are included with pros and cons discussed.
Ordering information

"Survey Instrument Design," in Stopher, P. and Jones, P., Ed., Transport Survey Quality and Innovation. Pergamon Press 2003

A core list of items can be standardized as essential for most personal travel surveys. However, the choice sets will differ depending on the population being surveyed and the unique context. Three dimensions, what to ask, how to ask and whom to ask, determine to what degree different surveys can be compared with one another. In practice, the objectives and budget of any specific survey may necessitate modifying the standard items. Best Practices for surveying mobile workers are recommended.
Review of monograph and ordering information

"Piggybacking on Existing Surveys: A Methodology for Obtaining New Perspectives on Changing Travel Behaviours." in Hensler, D., Ed., Travel Behaviour Research: The Leading Edge, Pergamon Press 2001.

Piggybacking is a cost-effective strategy for monitoring long-term trends. A short series of questions on work at home is added to existing surveys while maintaining the continuity of past years' data sets. By cross-tabulating the collected data with other survey variables, rich detail can be obtained that provides new insights into travelers who do some of their work at home.
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"Asking the Right Questions about Telecommuting: Avoiding pitfalls in surveying homebased work," IATBR97 Conference paper. Transportation 27(1): 99-116. 1999.

In designing travel behavior surveys, the problem is to define "work," "home," and similar words that are commonly used in our language but which have acquired a plethora of associated meanings. We recommend phrasing questions in terms of measurable variables such as the place of work and the time in days and hours spent at each location. 

Using examples from private and public surveys, the paper illustrates errors and confusion that can arise from casually worded surveys. For help on survey design, read this paper first, then turn to Counting the New Mobile Workforce for an in-depth discussion. 
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Counting the New Mobile Workforce, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, U. S. Department of Transportation, 1997.

This research identifies about 20 federal surveys to which work-at-home questions have been, or could be added in order to generate more reliable information about the mobile workforce. Definitional problems with words used to describe alternate work styles such as "telecommuting," "hoteling," "homebased business" and "mobile workers" are discussed. Survey designers may want to consider the recommended set of core questions that define mobile work by objective criteria such as the hours worked and locations.
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"Methodological Problems in Surveying the Home-Based Workforce," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, March 1987.

This research paper based on the Measurement and Evaluation report presents a "conceptual model that relates Bureau of Census definitional categories to information needed by others. The author found that measurement challenges in gathering information arise from definitional problems, measurement of a changing population, undercounts of segments of the home-based workforce and possible high nonresponse rates.
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Measurement and Evaluation of the Population of Family-Owned Businesses and Home-Based Businesses, research report, Small Business Administration, December 1985. National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce Order Number PB87114237CBV. (In association with John A. Davis)

This study discusses the best approaches for counting, describing and measuring the economic contributions of family-owned businesses and homebased businesses. The report includes draft questions for a Current Population Survey supplement. 

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Home Office Market Trends

Telecommuting and Enhanced Telecommunications, Proprietary report for The Yankee Group, Boston, MA, 1993.

The study predicts that by the mid-to-late 1990s, as many as 80 percent of employers will have to adopt remote work in order to compete in world markets. To develop the telecommuting segment of the home office market vendors need a two-pronged strategy: 1) sell consumers the equipment and services they need at affordable prices and 2) sell directly to employers the hardware, software and services that facilitate all remote work, including work from home.

Market Opportunities for Home Office Vendors, Yankeevision, Vol. 9, No. 11, September 1992.

The white paper forecasts that by the mid- to late 1990s the majority of employers will have to adopt work-at-home policies to compete in world markets. Fully integrated technologies will enable tomorrow’s telecommuters to work wherever they are: at the central office in the field, while traveling, or in the home.

Technology in the Home Office Market, Proprietary report for The Yankee Group, Boston, MA, March 1989.

This early look at the fledgling home office market concluded that to successfully market to the home office, vendors and retailers must commit the effort to understand the needs and motivations of individuals working within the home and must find innovative ways to teach them how to use their products. 

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Homebased Business

The Impact of Location on Net Income: A Comparison of Homebased and Non-homebased Sole Proprietors, U. S. Small Business Administration, 2006.

Using 2002 sole proprietorship data, the impact of location on net income was analyzed using a sample of 1.6 million profitable homebased businesses and 1.9 million non-homebased firms. The study compared revenues, deductible costs and net income for each location across industry sectors. Although homebased businesses earn lower average receipts ($62,523) and net income ($22,569) than businesses operated in rented space $178,194 and $38,243, respectively, homebased businesses gain a higher return on gross revenues compared with non-homebased businesses (36 percent versus 21 percent). The most profitable homebased businesses are those in wholesale trade, particularly durable goods and travel accommodations such as bed and breakfasts. The most profitable non-homebased sectors are ambulatory health care services such as doctors' offices, insurance, real estate and consulting.
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E-Biz.com: Strategies for Small Business Success, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2002.

An analysis based on surveys by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and by the Center for Women's Business Research (CWBR) supports the hypothesis that e-business affords new opportunities for success for small firms and particularly for niche businesses. In particular, the Internet  provides even the smallest business with access to information and to markets. The more innovative entrepreneurs see the Internet as a way to market niche products and reach distant customers in ways that were not available in the past. Their pioneering innovations foretell a structural change in industrial organization for both small and large firms. The smallest firms gain the most by reorganizing as an e-business. For a small business, revenues cover the costs of setting up and operating a web site. The power of the keyword search means that a business can target customers who need niche products without the wasteful expense of mass mailings Instead, customers find them. Finally, business owners can live in isolated locations and reach customers worldwide.
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Homebased Business: the Hidden Economy, U.S. Small Business Administration, 1999. 

This study compares homebased with non-homebased businesses using cross-tabulations of the Characteristics of Business Owners  Survey (CBO). The sample of 125,000 self-employed business owners includes businesses that filed Schedule C, partnership or S corporation tax returns in 1992. The analysis found that people become self-employed because they want to be their own boss as well as earn income. Those wanting primary income are more likely to choose a non-residential location, work long hours throughout the year and hire employees. In comparison, more homebased business owners want a second income, are less likely to hire employees and tend to work fewer hours and weeks of the year.
Research Summary
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Myths and Realities of Working at Home: Characteristics of Homebased Business Owners and Telecommuters, U.S. Small Business Administration, 1993.
Data Highlights

"Family-Owned Home-Based Businesses: An Interview with Joanne H. Pratt," Family Business Review, VI, no. 4, Winter 1993, pp. 427-435.

The interview with Nancy Bowman-Upson discusses issues that concern family-owned homebased businesses.

"Where Women Can Get Business Know-How," Home Office Computing, May 1989, pp. 47-49.

This article describes ways in which women’s support groups help women learn the skills needed to manage their firms.

"Home-Business Resources: Where to Find Answers to Your Business Questions," Home Office Computing, September 1988, pp. 26-35.

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Other

Literature on Home-Based Business and Work and the Family-Owned Business, U.S. Small Business Administration, 1986. (In association with John A. Davis)

Environmental Encounter: Experiences in Decision-Making for the Built and the Natural Environment. (Co-author) Reverchon Press 1979.

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