News release

Survey Shows Family Disruptions Top List of Distractions for Home-based Professionals

PALO ALTO, Calif., Sept. 18, 2002

If you're a telecommuter and have ever wondered why you spend endless hours working but don't accomplish as much as you'd like, you're not alone. According to a survey of telecommuters, more than half (60 percent) of respondents reported that "family needs" and "personal chores and errands" are the biggest barriers to work productivity at home.

The survey, sponsored by HP in recognition of National Work from Home Week (Oct. 6-12), found that unexpected assignments (21 percent), meetings (10 percent), problems with office equipment (6 percent) and the television (4 percent) rounded out the top distractions for telecommuters.

However, there are several steps that the more than 34 million Americans who work from home can take to maximize productivity, according to Jeff Zbar, the "Chief Home Officer," consultant and author of "Teleworking & Telecommuting: Strategies for Remote Workers & Their Managers."

"It's easy to become sidetracked by home- and family-based distractions," said Zbar. "The key to telecommuting success is creating an effective work environment and focusing on productive ways to get work done."

Zbar recommends three priorities for creating an effective home-office environment:

• Create a dedicated work environment. Equip it with devices that are easy to use, offer high-quality results, are reliable and affordable. "One of the machines I recommend is an all-in-one printer. They allow you to print, scan, copy and fax all via a single machine that takes up less space," said Zbar.

• Identify your biggest time-wasters -- and manage them. If personal chores and errands are distractions, block out the time equivalent of an office worker's lunch-break or commute and use that time to handle them. This allows you to manage distractions and balance your work and personal life.

• Work when you're most productive. Determine your most productive time of day and work on your most important tasks at that time. According to the survey, nearly seven out of 10 home workers (69 percent) identified the morning as the most productive time for work, compared to evening (16 percent) and afternoon (15 percent).

Sales trends and consumer research show that consumers prefer multi-function devices. HP is a leading manufacturer of all-in-one printers and a broad range of products designed for the home and home office. The company recently introduced the HP PSC 2110 and 2210 all-in-one printers that deliver clear, bright and sharp images in black and white or photo-quality color. While both devices print, scan and copy, the HP PSC 2210 also offers flatbed fax capability.

In addition to increasing productivity in the home office, HP all-in-ones can be used as a personal digital darkroom so consumers can print their own high-quality photos from home. The new HP all-in-ones start at an estimated U.S. street price of $249⁽¹⁾ and are available direct from HP via http://www.hpshopping.com or at consumer electronics stores nationwide.

Survey Background

A total of 1,218 telephone interviews were conducted Aug. 29 through Sept. 1 and Sept. 5 through Sept. 8, 2002. Interviewing was conducted by CARAVAN Survey, a division of Opinion Research Corporation. The sample was weighted to provide a nationally representative and projectable estimate of the adult population, age 18 and older. Sampling error for a survey of this size is +/- 3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.

About HP

HP is a leading global provider of products, technologies, solutions and services to consumers and businesses. The company's offerings span IT infrastructure, personal computing and access devices, global services and imaging and printing. HP completed its merger transaction involving Compaq Computer Corp. on May 3, 2002. More information about HP is available at http://www.hp.com.

⁽¹⁾ Actual prices may vary.