Investigating 'anywhere working' as a mechanism for alleviating traffic congestion in smart cities

Despite the many potential economic, social and environmental benefits, the adoption rates for anywhere working in Australia remain very low. This explorative study aims to gain a deeper understanding as to why this is, by examining the working arrangements and commuting habits of a sample of employees from Melbourne's largest city-based firms, in order to identify current organisational policies relating to anywhere working, commuter transport modes/usage/timings, attitudes toward anywhere working, the percentage of time employees spent engaged in anywhere working, the location(s) where they typically performed anywhere working, and the benefits, constraints/concerns, perceived productivity, and equipment needed to effectively work in a location outside of a traditional office space. These findings offer a valuable new insight into this phenomenon, as a potential mechanism for reducing traffic in our cities of the future, by leveraging ICT technologies to reduce the overall need for people movement.