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T Growing numbers of offices are sprouting up in American homes for a variety of purposes. doing so, and telecommuters who work at home but arc officed elsewhere. Typical home workers of either type have been and remain dis- tinctive. Most are married, in their 30s or 40s, and college-educat- ed. This demographic profile is decidedly linked with the profes- sional work they do. Even in a so-called information economy, most people don't have the kinds of jobs that they can do exclu- sively or even mostly from a home base. What numbers fail to tell is why people have chosen a home- office setting. For some, it hasn't been a first choice but a fallback. For others, it's temporary until business gets off the ground. And for others, it's a long-term lifestyle commitment. Understanding the motivations of home-based workers can shed light on their needs. It might also explain why some are deciding to give it up. Corporate Refugees are home-office workers who were ". . . laid off. reduced-in-force, downsized, rightsized, outsourced, bought out, or fed up with corporate life:' according to Dixie Darr, editor and publisher of The Accidental Entrepreneur. In the last two years, 9.4 million Americans became displaced workers. Approximately one in five will end up self-employed, at least for a time. For Dabblers, working at home is just beyond a hobby. They may be retired and not quite ready for the idea of retirement, or employed and toying with the idea of a home-based business. Some are teachers and corporate workers who moonlight 011 the side. In 1996,6 percent of American workers had two or more jobs, accord- ing to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The majority of multiple job- holders have a full-time and part-time job or two part-time jobs. 58 American Demographics Oerobe' 1997 Some do the same type of work on their side jobs as in their primary jobs. Others pursue things closer to their heart if their "day" job doesn't allow it. Most moonlighters don't work at home, but some do. Home-based Entrepreneurs perhaps best exemplify the most traditional vision of what home-based work is. These people have deliberately chosen to launch a home-based business to realize their entrepreneurial dream. They may or may not stay there. Nesters work at home because fam- ily is a high priority. This category includes entrepreneurs who prefer not to leave family for work. Family businesses also fall into this segment. Techies are "plugged in" and able to "virtual office" any- where via computers, modems, and networks. Novelty may play a part in their motivation. These workers may work at home in part because they can. Similar to Techies, Telecommuters work from home because they can. They may be less fascinated by the technology, but they have no qualms about taking advantage of it. They are in one place and their employer is in another, but that doesn't matter. Powerful laptop computers that offer off-site access to company networks enable many corporate employees to . telecommute part-time. About 7 million Americans did some telecommuting in 1996. Some places encourage telecommuting. In California, where traf- fic congestion and pollution is a big problem, organizations like RIDES for Bay Area Commuters even offer incentives to keep peo- ple at home. Although the San Francisco-based nonprofit primari- ly encourages workers to carpool and use public transportation, it linked up with Pacific Bell last spring to offer a prize of $700 of computer or home-office equipment to the lucky winner among those who honored California Work-at-Home Day (May 7th). HOME-OFFICE BONANZA Pacific Bell naturally has a motive to be involved with a work-at- home promotion. It offers lots of products and services that. cater to home-office workers. Small offices/home offices (SOHOs) don't have huge corporate budgets, but they have money to spend. In 1996, the average annual work-at-home household income was $59,200, substantially higher than the national average. The needs of home-office workers closely parallel those of their corporate counterparts: office space, computers, phones, answering devices, supplies, fax machines, copiers, furniture, and access to the outside world in the form of information, ongoing education, tech- nological support, and networking. Home-office workers spent approximately $14 billion on products and services in 1995. By the end of the decade, SOHO spending on computer and telephone equipment and services alone is expected to reach $30 billion. Quality phone systems are a high priority. They are the home- based worker's primary contact with the outside world. Pacific Bell