Investigating the perceptions of Iranian employees on teleworking

Abstract

Purpose

The main purpose of this study is to explore the perception of Iranian sample managers and employees from state‐owned organizations on benefits, barriers, and desire to telecommute based on the context of Iran using descriptive analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

To address the research questions, a survey‐based empirical study was carried out in a representative sample of 28 public organizations from various state‐owned organizations in Iran. The 190 responses received were analyzed descriptively and the results presented.

Findings

The results show that 88 percent of the respondents perceive the importance of benefits of teleworking. At the same time, due to barriers and difficulties such as poor IT infrastructure which was ranked by respondents as the main barrier and the fear of losing social interaction, about 50 percent of respondents desire to telecommute. Also based on cultural factors of the country the study revealed that women want to telecommute more than men.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited to the capital of Iran. Hence the findings and conclusions drawn from this research are representative of the Iranian context only. So caution needs to be exercised in generalizing the results.

Practical implications

For successful implementation of a teleworking policy, the Iranian government should provide and improve necessary IT infrastructures including high speed internet which is the main tool for successful implementation of a teleworking program and it should provide the necessary training both for managers and employees.

Originality/value

As teleworking is quite a new phenomenon in Iran this study has the potential to enhance the understanding of teleworking initiatives, benefits and barriers among researchers and practitioners in the context of Iran. Also policymakers of the country could take advantage of the findings of this study towards a successful implementation of teleworking.

Citation

Valmohammadi, C. (2012), "Investigating the perceptions of Iranian employees on teleworking", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 236-241. https://doi.org/10.1108/00197851211231513