The work-from-home trend: An interview with Brian Kropp

Abstract

The idea of working from home really started in the 1980s when technology made it possible for people to work from home. Employees have always worked remotely when traveling for business-related assignments; however, that differs from the work-from-home trend that we see now and is the focus of this discussion. For a long time, working from home was viewed simply as a perk for special employees. Most CFOs and CEOs in the 1980s were largely against the idea because they were concerned about the loss of productivity when employees did work from home. The employers’ mindset had yet to adjust to the fact that employees were not just spending most of the day sitting on the couch eating pizza, watching television, and not actually working.