The Effect of Working from Home on Work and Private Life: Automotive Sector Application

Abstract

Today, the increase in the sense of independence and developments in communication technology increase the importance of working from home. Working from home is not defined as bringing home the work that the employee cannot rise to the workplace, but rather working from home by the management at a certain frequency rather than going to work. Working from home has positive and negative effects on work-life. While some studies have positive findings that working from home will improve work performance, some studies have found that being away from the workplace will decrease team performance, create obstacles for progress and adversely affect business life. One hundred eighty employees, including 66 managers of the company to apply to work from home in the Turkish automotive sector, did take part in this study. As a result of the study, it has been concluded that the increase in transportation time and frequency of working from home reduces the level of communication between the manager and the employee and contributes positively to the establishment of work-family balance. It was obtained that working at home posed a barrier to progress at both the executive and employee levels and prevented teamwork. As a result, to increase the motivation of employees to work from home, it may be suggested that companies should place systems of teamwork in their enterprises, provide the necessary technological tools for remote teamwork and establish systems that closely monitor the results of the work of workers from home in their career plans.