Telecommuting Attitudes and the ‘Big Five’ Personality Dimensions

Telecommuting and virtual work are modifying the traditional work arrangement. This exploratory research examined the relationships between personality and telecommuting attitudes. We hypothesized that individuals with personality traits that provide a good fit with the typical demands of a telecommuting environment would have more favorable telecommuting attitudes. In Study 1, we developed an internally-consistent scale for measuring telecommuting attitudes. In Study 2, we explored relationships between the Big Five personality dimensions and telecommuting attitudes among a sample (N=333) of upper division business students. Agreeableness was positively related with telecommuting attitudes, whereas emotional stability was negatively related with telecommuting attitudes. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.