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<br />LEAVING
<br />HOME:
<br />THE EMIGRATION
<br />OF HOME-OFFICE
<br />WORKERS
<br />
<br />,
<br />
<br />They're sitting ifi"'comfortable sweats at their computer
<br />monitors. Hot, steaming coffee lies within reach, as
<br />does all the technology imaginable-multiple-line
<br />phone systems, fax machines, copiers, color printers,
<br />modems, and CD readers. They've got plenty of busi-
<br />ness, and things are running smoothly. But something's wrong. No
<br />one's there to share the voyage, and the situation falls far short of
<br />Nirvana.
<br />In home offices around the country, a number of problems are
<br />surfacing. Many home-office workers feel as though they're work-
<br />ing in a vacuum. They feel isolated and struggle with a perception
<br />that they're not quite "legit:' They lament the loss of support staff,
<br />employer-provided educational opportunities, health insurance,
<br />pension plans, and paid vacation time. They scramble to fmd suit-
<br />able places to meet with clients.
<br />Those who run businesses from home also run the risks of run-
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<br />lotHtched hfJmeofflcfs in ..the>199fJsr#owmr,nmnyihave f(1und.thQtt1te;re(ifir.yjd~~1l:l,i.<
<br />live up to the promise.Jhe dawn ofthe 11 st.centuryJs bringing yet ajffJtl1.erfHfflXipc
<br />the ongoing quest for the ideal work situation.
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<br />ning into zoning violations and IRS audits. They may also have
<br />trouble keeping work hours under control, not to mention the dif-
<br />
<br />fi~ulties ~ssociat~d B Y KAT HIS. ALL EN AND
<br />With keepmg family
<br />life and its inherent G LOR 1 A FLY N N MOO R MAN
<br />
<br />intrusions at bay. In other words, the flexibility and freedom that
<br />come with a home office have their down sides.
<br />As a result of this disillusionment, many home-based workers
<br />are seeking another alternative. Some may return to the rat race
<br />they left behind. But others are seeking yet another way. In the
<br />process, they are creating a growing diversity in the officing of
<br />American workers.
<br />
<br />PURSUING THE DREAM
<br />
<br />Approximately 30 million Americans now work at home at least
<br />some of the time. As many as 8,000 people a day join the home-
<br />working movement, claims the American Home Business
<br />Association. More than four in ten Americans say that owning
<br />their own business is something they want to do, according to
<br />Roper Starch Worldwide of New York City. This share is highest
<br />among those aged 18 to 29, at 63 percent.
<br />The work-at-home market, as defined by a leading market
<br />research and consulting firm, contains two major segments:
<br />income-generating home-office households and corporate home-
<br />office households. The income-producing work-at-home hous~
<br />holds include "primary self-employed and part-time self-
<br />employed:' Corporate home-office households include "after-
<br />hours workers" who bring work home but are not paid extra for
<br />
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<br />
<br />American Demographics October 1997 57
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