Healthcare Clinic Telecommuting Analysis

The purpose of this brief is to determine wether to establish work-at-home policy for selected employees at the Q-tel Pty Ltd. Information and communication technologies (ICT) make it possible for employees to work at home and deliver their work output to the firm by those ICT. This work arrangement is called telecommuting (Sarbu, 2015).

Employers allow telecommuting for many reasons, including the ability to recruit better talent, decrease overhead expenses, increase productivity, expand the employee base to include those with disabilities (Anderson, Bricout & West, 2001; Lipin, 2010; Myungjung & So Hee, 2017), and to support

“This remote work may be something we should be doing more of, according to two new studies. Working from home can be good for your health and productivity. Not only did people who worked from home report greater work satisfaction and less “work exhaustion,” they also got better sleep. Separately, researchers found that the highest performing workers were the most likely to cultivate and excel in a “WFH” environment (Gregoire, 2015)”. If workers don't prefer to work at home they are more than welcome to continue working at the main workplace. The company will give each employee the opportunity to try working from home in order to have more space at the main work

Telecommuting has been shown to reduce absenteeism, improve retention, and reduce recruitment costs for the organization (Family, pg. 730). Increased employee moral is also a benefit associated with telecommuting (Professional Isolation, pg. 512). Offering this new benefit that is such a satisfier for employees will likely result in reduced turnover within the organization and higher productivity. A study found pubic employees who were satisfied with their telework/telecommuting benefits were less likely to leave their positions (Family pg. 732). With the reduction of office time, an increase in employee productivity is likely due to fewer interruptions from fellow employees (Lessons pg. 10). With telecommuting having benefits to both the employer and employee, this new policy should bring positive results to the

Founded more than 40 years ago as a tool for hospitals to outreach for patients in remote areas. It is currently incorporated into the progressing operations of physician facilities, home health agencies and in patient’s homes.

Regardless of industry, location, and level of the corporate ladder an employee works, he or she never stops being an employee. The same can be said about not being at home either. With the same technology of being instantly connected to everyone, an employee’s personal life now constantly has his or her attention during the work day. Text messages, Facebook updates, and phone calls, all come into the work place from the outside in such the same matter as emails from work, reports needing to be done by the next morning, and calls from clients and employers find employees at home.

Today’s fuel costs have put a great deal of pressure on the commuting employee and they are looking for ways to cut corners. An alternative for work commute trips is telecommuting. It is obvious that there is a tangible savings by the employee if they are able to work from their home. The employer is concerned and rightfully so that managing resources through telecommuting is more difficult than managing traditionally.

Telehealth has been a large topic of debate in recent years because of the economic, political, and regulatory points of view. In deciding outcomes in these areas, it is the responsibility of all healthcare professions to identify information gaps in order to come to the more rational and beneficial conclusion about telehealth (Grace, 2014). Economically, there are concerns regarding the access and affordability of telehealth equipment. At the same time, telehealth is being adapted in ways to be utilized with technological devices that many individuals already have access to like telephones, cellular phones, and personal computers/laptops. Telehealth can positively impact both clients and providers by increasing access to care and reducing the time and costs associated with traveling for health care (Allen, Aylott, Loyola, Moric, & Saffarek, 2015). As telehealth develops technological devices can be made more affordable and can be covered by insurance policies (Thomas et al., 2014). Many nurses functioning as case managers can help provide the tools and resources individuals require to manage their health.

Tomika, a co-worker is excited about her new job working for an agency that installs tele-monitoring equipment into the homes of people with chronic illnesses. She will monitor the patients using the equipment with the goal of detecting problems before these patients are readmitted to the hospital. A job in telenursing enables the nurse to work from home assessing and interacting with her patients through videoconferencing. According to a scholarly journal of the American Nurses of Association, there has been an escalation in deployment of remote technology to enhance health care, and an increasing acceptance of these technologies. There are also legal and regulatory questions pertaining to the provision of healthcare using these technologies

Medical call centers are vital to health care organizations as they have the ability to rapidly respond to patients, minimize the burden on administrative staff and improve the patient experience. It is also well known that medical call centers can optimize call flow, potentially increase revenue, improve patient satisfaction and assist in improving medical office efficiency. However, many call centers are challenged with developing solutions to provide quality service to patients and other callers. A call center was recently established in The Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist and Hand Center at Mercy Medical Center in March of this year. While establishing the call center has been beneficial, it has also presented challenges that prevent patients and other callers from having a high quality experience. These challenges present new opportunities to implement solutions that can lead to positive outcomes.

People that work from home have to balance work and family and in the process the two topics become one. Technology advancements are making it easier for many people to work from home. Technology such as the use of skype webcam technologies and teleconferences. Time with family is what is harmed to some degree. One of the biggest problems with working from home is not being able to switch "off." (Montero, 2004). When you walk out of an office at the end of the day, you are able to forget about

The freedom to telecommute with international employees remove geographical barriers to productivity and allows for schedule flexibility. To meet needs and function efficiently in an ill-defined hierarchy, these companies can change quickly by organizing expert employees in groups and giving them the decision-making authority. When employees manage, and coordinate their own projects, it fosters a sense of pride in the ability to change and meet the demands of the situation fostering a strong work ethic.

Telecommuting will continue to grow as a benefit to the modern day workforce. Recently there has been much discussion and research on whether telecommuting is benefiting companies or whether it is actually lowering worker’s production. Marissa Mayers, upon taking the helm of Yahoo at a time of the company’s perceived decline, banned her workers from telecommuting. This caused quite a stir in the global workplace. Would this set workers back; especially working moms? According to Gallagher (2013), “Despite moves by Yahoo! Inc., and Best Buy to end policies that allowed employees to work from home, eight in 10 employers say they will maintain some form of telecommuting” (para. 1). Although Mayers’ announcement was considered controversial, research based on current day telecommuting indicates that telecommuting is a benefit that is here to stay.

Telecommuting is a very interesting and complex subject. The pros and cons of this concept are numerous and both sides have excellent arguments. This report will help introduce you to the telecommuting basics; it will help you sort out the benefits and pitfalls so you can decide whether it will work for you; it will help develop and implement a program that meets your individual needs.

It is apparent that telecommuting has many benefits for both employees and employers however, telecommuting is not without its potential challenges. Furthermore, companies that are considering this policy should note the varying possible pitfalls and attempt to find ways to control them.