Working from home, also known as teleworking, telecommuting, remote working, mobile work, remote work, and flexible place of work, is a work arrangement where employees do not travel or commute (e.g., by car or bus, etc.) to a central workplace, such as an office building, warehouse, or shop. Working from home gained prominence in the 1970s to characterize job-based telecommunication substitutions and associated travel information technologies. Teleworkers in the 21st century frequently use mobile telecommunications devices to operate from coffee shops, such as a Wi-Fi laptop or portable computers and smartphones; some can use a desktop pc and a landline phone at home. According to a poll, approximately "one in five workers around the globe, especially employees in the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia, frequently work telecommunications and nearly 10 percent work every day from home." In the 2000s, maternity leave or vacation in some organizations was seen as an absence from the workplace rather than a cessation of work, and some office employees used telework to keep checking.

Telecommuting had been the focus of discussion on pop culture in the 1990s. In 1995, the motto was coined that "work is anything you are doing, not just something you are traveling to." Variations of this slogan include: "Work is what we do, not a destination we go" and "Work is something we do, not where we are." A number of businesses, governments, and non-profit organizations have embraced telecommuting. Organizations can use telecommuting to cut costs (telecommuting employees do not need an office or a cubicle, a space that needs to be rented or purchased, and extra costs like lighting, climate control, etc.) Many companies embrace telecommuting in order to improve the standard of living of employees because telecommuting usually eliminates traffic jams stuck time and time. In addition, teleworking can make it easier for employees to match their job responsibilities with their family and personal roles (e.g., child care or elderly parents). For environmental reasons, some companies implement teleworking, because teleworking can minimize traffic problems and air pollution, with fewer cars on the road.

A few of the probable pros and cons of working from home can be explained by the theory of job characteristics, which implies that the features and activities of the job itself influence the working attitudes and behavior of the employees. When five job characteristics (skill diversity, role identification, task importance, flexibility, and feedback) are present, then the employee in that position should encounter more internal work inspiration, satisfaction with personal growth opportunities, overall job satisfaction, higher job performance, and lower absenteeism and turnover. Many studies have shown that the features of a job affect the actions and attitudes of employees. Furthermore, work requirements can interfere with individual variation to influence the attitudes and actions of employees. Of these five job features, telework directly affects flexibility and feedback relative to face-to-face job and can thus affect the actions and attitudes of employees. The tweaks in autonomy and feedback affect work habits and behaviors more than just reform in skill variety, task identity, or task significance, according to Job Characteristics Theory.

Autonomy

Autonomy affects experienced accountability so that the employee will take any responsibility for his or her work results if the job offers mobility, independence, and flexibility in scheduling. Telework offers versatility in planning and mobility, as there are more options for the worker outside the workplace.