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BSc (Hon) Management

Management Information
Systems

Name: Pak Ming Foon,


Ginny
NRIC No: G7085108W
Year of Study: Year 3
Q4. Telework

Course Coordinator: Anita Greenhill


Q4. Sullivan (2003) defines telework as “Work that is carried out at a distance
from the core organization through the medium of ICTs.” Discuss
telework and the impact it is having on contemporary work practices.

The International Telework Association and Council (ITAC) cites that 1972 as the first
significant date in the history of telework. Jack Nilles, who is known as the ‘Father of
Telework/Telecommuting’, joined the University of Southern California as a
researcher, focusing on telecommunications – transportation trade off research.

There are three types of telework; full time, part time and episodic or situational
telework. The following section briefly explains the three types.

Full Time Telework

Employee who does full time telework completes all or almost all assignments and
works outside of the traditional office setting. The works could be completed at home,
the client’s office or even in a telecenter. Full time teleworkers are not required to
report to the office on a daily basis. They might be required to attend meetings or
planning sessions occasionally at the office.

Part Time Telework

In part time telework, employee has made arrangements or reaches an agreement


with their manager to telework on regular scheduled dates. The employee might
telework one or more days a week, or several days in a few week or months.

Episodic or Situational Telework

The employee teleworks on an irregular basis. The reason could be due to medical
reasons or the employee is deployed to work on a special project. The employee
may also be required to attend to customer feedbacks or complains at another
geographical location.

Adopting teleworking can be a viable and attractive option for both employees and
employers. Some of the reasons and benefits are covered in the sections below.

EMPLOYEES

(a) Flexible hours

Employees who opted to telework have full control on how to manage their
time. Those who are most productive in the morning would fully utilize the
hours to complete the work. They are able to start and stop according to what
works best for them. The same goes for those who are most productive late
at night. Time management is an important aspect for teleworkers. They must
know how to manage their time properly to maintain productivity.

(b) Better balance of work and family life

Pak Ming Foon, Ginny


Q4. Telework

Employees who telework would be able to see more of their family members.
Although they might put in more productive hours, they are able to participate
in household chores and have more time to communicate with their spouse
and children. Some are even able to participate in home responsibilities, such
as helping the children with their school projects and shopping for groceries.

(c) Reduced travel time and costs

Employees spend much of their time traveling to work. Those who live in the
urban areas have to spend more time traveling than those who live in the city.
The longer distance would also mean extra costs. The traveling time and
extra costs can be eliminated by teleworking. The hours spent can instead be
used to get more work done. The traveling costs can be saved for other
household expenses.

EMPLOYERS

(a) Cost savings

Companies which adopt teleworking are able to reduce costs, such as office
rent, overhead and labour. The main cost savings would be in overhead costs
as teleworkers are not required to be physically in the office.

(b) Increased productivity and improved motivation

Some employees work best when there are no interruptions or distractions.


With fewer interruptions, employees are able to concentrate and this leads to
an increase in productivity.

A high level of trust and confidence are often needed when a company opted
for teleworking. As employees are not in an office setting, it would be hard to
monitor them. Therefore, by employing teleworkers, managers are signaling
that they have a high level of trust and confidence towards them. Recognizing
and appreciating this, it in turn improved the motivation level of the
teleworkers.

(c) Skills retention

There are times when an employee has to leave as one of their family
members is relocating or when the employee would like to take a break from
work. Offering teleworking as an alternative would be a viable option to retain
the employees who are highly skilled in their work areas. It also help
companies to avoid recruitment and training costs, to train the new employee
the essential knowledge and skills needed for the job.

Adopting telework offers attractive benefits for both employees and employers.
However, telework might not be a viable alternative for some. Some of the reasons
are covered in the sections below.

EMPLOYEES

Pak Ming Foon, Ginny


Q4. Telework

(a) Social isolation

Employees who telework for long duration of time might experience a sense
of isolation, as they do not get to interact with their co-workers in an office
environment. This in turn reduces social interaction between the teleworker
and other co-workers. Very often teleworkers have to put in more efforts to
maintain a constant communication and good working relationship with their
other co-workers.

(b) Lower job security and career prospects

Many workers have the impression that if they are not seen working; it will
affect their performance appraisal. Teleworkers have the same worry, that if
they do not maintain constant ‘visibility’ in the office, they would be passed
over for promotions or other career prospects. In comparison with other co-
workers at the traditional office setting, they also feel that they are easily
replaceable, which gives them a lower sense of job security.

(c) Increased conflict between home and work

Teleworkers might spend too much time working when they are concentrating
fully on their work and unconsciously neglected their family members. This
might create tension and conflict which otherwise could be avoided if they are
working in a traditional office setting.

EMPLOYERS

(a) Result oriented management

As teleworkers are not physically working in an office environment, managers


are unable to constantly monitor them. Since ‘visual’ monitoring would be
impossible, managers rely on the output produced by teleworkers to be able
to determine their productivity level. This would lead to a result oriented
management where managers might put undue pressure on teleworkers to
maintain an acceptable level of productivity.

(b) Loss of confidential data

During the course of work, teleworkers might be given access to confidential


data to complete a project. As there would be minimum supervision in the
management of sensitive and confidential data, there would be a possibility of
losing the data to a rival company for monetary gain.

Looking at the benefits and downsides of teleworking, it can be concluded that


teleworking can be a successful practice if managed and implemented properly.
Companies need to do extensive planning and are prepared to provide suitable
trainings for both managers and employers on the practical considerations of
telework. The company should also adopt a culture that supports flexible work
arrangement and create specific policies for teleworkers.

Pak Ming Foon, Ginny


Q4. Telework

BIBLIOGRAPHY

So You Want to Telecommute


http://pages.prodigy.net/bellyacre/telework.html

Telework (Telecommuting): Benefits and Some Issues


http://www.eto.org.uk/faq/faq03.htm

Earth Data Network For Education and Scientific Exchange


http://www.ednes.org/wistcis/tw/ch3.html

General Services Administration, Office of Personnel Management


http://www.telework.gov/documents/tw_man03/ch1.asp

Pak Ming Foon, Ginny

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