Definition And History Of Telecommuting

According to Kara Heissman “the average worker works 55 hours a week now” (Lifehack.org). It’s hard to disconnect from work even when we aren’t in the office. We now bring work home with us by our smart phones and tablets. We still receive and respond to emails,

Even though this concept was proven to work, it is still not widely adopted by the employees. When given the task of not using any technology for work

According to the Global Workplace Analytics (2016) website, there has been a 2.8% increase in Telecommuting worker population from 2005 to 2014 or 3.7 million employees that work from home on a full-time or half-time basis. In

They also use company computers all day every day. They use the computers to document all the

A revolution is spreading through the world of work because of changes in information, technology and communication. Information and technology has lessened the gaps between individuals and it is no longer necessary for people to be in close geographic location to enhance working capabilities. Telework means working at a distance and technology makes this possible. Teleworkers are defined as employees or contractors who work at least one day per month; they are also referred to as telecommuters. Research shows that teleworkers work nine days per month at home with three hours per week during normal business hours. Teleworkers seek to blend work responsibilities and personal benefits to enable them handle their work better and life responsibilities.

MedEx should roll out the telecommuting on a voluntary basis for employees with high performance evaluations. I feel this will show the employees the organization cares and has addressed their concerns based on the survey. If the telecommuting policy is implemented correctly, telecommuting can increase productivity and overall job satisfaction. If the policy is crafted to tied the privilege of telecommuting with positive performance evaluations, it will motivate employees to not lack off while working remotely. The option of telecommuting can work as a way to attract high performing top professional to the organization. Telecommuting should also reduce turnover and absences. Work life balance will always be a very important part of keeping

In today’s technological world, organizations have a significantly more difficult time with this tool than when Mr. Peck wrote this book. Electronic devices and social media have created a culture of instant gratification. There is no need to wait until one gets home to talk about the day. Thoughts and ideas are posted and instantly responded to by people around the world. Many work places have had to create policy about employees using electronic devices

Each department should have guidelines set in place in regards to using personal devices on company time that involves the internet. If these guidelines are not present, the

According to Yigitcanlar, Velibeyoglu and Martinez-Fernandez (2008), there are a set of digital technologies which employers are seeking in order to improve on their outcomes and thereby maximize the stakeholders’ value. Among these technologies are those that are concerned with communication. Goode (2010) revealed that Australian employers have shifted from the traditional means of communication to the digital ones. Take an instance of electronic mails. Rather than writing letters to all employees to inform them about a given issue, Australian employers are now adopting the use of electronic mails, and this has increased the level of efficiency in the workplace tremendously. This is especially due to the fact that different types of resources including time and energy are saved. Another digital technology that has been applied within the Australian workplace is wireless network. A growing number of Australian corporate especially those that have a huge branch network are now communicating over long distances using wireless networks such as Wi-Fi. The same can be said about teleconferencing. Rather than holding the traditional meetings, Australian organizations are holding meetings and core sittings using what is called video conferencing. In general, managers and corporate stakeholders, regardless of their location, are using telecommunication technologies to communicate through simultaneous two-way

Harry Davis, who is the Human Resource Manager (HRM), is determined to discover what is causing the high turnover rate with the medical billing specialists at MedEx. According to the text, telecommuting is an example of an unconventional work arrangement where employees work from home or another location besides their traditional employer (Martocchio, 2013). Nevertheless, Harry conducts a survey, which reflects, that a vast majority of the employees would prefer to work from home. The possibility of telecommuting being offered at MedEx, for the medical billing specialist, has finally become a reality. However, telecommuting has its disadvantages and challenges.

The developments and evolution of technology are an invaluable resource to assist the department in the performance of its duties. Although highly useful, like a double-edged sword could be harmful or detrimental to the department, in that it presents opportunities to access and use technology in both legitimate and illegitimate methods. Employees may only operate department equipment for its intended purpose and are restricted to using department electronic messaging systems for official business only.

The impact of computer technology in the workplace has been enormous within the past decade, both positive and negative. Distant communication through the use of computers and mobile devices have overhauled the office setting completely. Email, social networking sites and the world of the Internet have opened a whole new avenue of communication. Technology has changed the entire workplace environment, the relationships, and how things get done.

In the ever-advancing technological environment of the modern workplace, managers are forced to implement new policies and procedures to increase productivity (Otto et al. 154). Lee and Duffy claimed in their peer-reviewed article in Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing and Service Industries that this his increase in technology has created workplace systems such as the internet, e-mail and instant messaging that allow more multitasking and workplace interruptions. This technology allows workers to access their schedule instantly, hold meetings at their desk, constantly checking their phones for emails and phone calls. The availability of information at just a few finger taps has created an information overload in

The research shows that the average employee spends at least some time each week working from home. While employees spend an average of 32 hours each week working from their office, they also spend an average of 5 hours working from home each week.

Employers believe employees are taking advantage of the Internet while at work to access inappropriate websites such as shopping, gambling, pornographic material, and illegal downloading. Therefore, employers are searching for ways to reduce Internet exploring and increase work production, and remain within the state and federal guidelines (Young, 2011). To combat these issues, monitoring technologies are put in place to make employees more productive during company’s work hours. Monitoring technologies are classified as the use of computerized system that automatically collect, store, analyze, and report information about how an employee is performing his/her job (Wen, Schwieger & Gershuny, 2007). This helps companies to track their employee’s Internet movements, obtain detailed information (Wen, Schwieger & Gershuny, 2007), and protect the privacy of their company. In return, employers hope this will limit or eliminate employees from extensive use of the Internet.