A large technology company’s CEO decided as one part of his or her plan to revitalize the company that he or she wanted to end the company’s work-from-home policy. In an internal memo from the Executive Vice President of People and Development, working at the office rather than at home was necessary because of the need for employees to communicate and collaborate and to reduce the chance that speed and quality would be diminished. Criticism of the firm’s policy change focused on the message that not allowing work from home sends to employees: We can’t trust you to get the work done.

Many employees want to work at home, so companies are using working at home as a benefit that helps recruit and retain talented employees. Several studies have demonstrated benefits from working at home. Cisco Systems found that employees who could work remotely from home experienced an increase in their quality of life. This could result from reducing the hassles of commuting to work and allowing employees to better balance work and life responsibilities such as managing childcare, running errands, or dealing with a sick child, spouse, or family member. Another study showed that when employees of a Chinese travel agency were allowed to work from home, they were more productive, resulting in cost savings of $2,000 per employee each year. Finally, a study found that office employees who work from home may work fifty-seven hours per week before they feel their work-life is out of balance, compared to thirty-eight hours per week for employees who work at their office.

Working at home also may have significant disadvantages. The disadvantages include employees taking advantage of the policy to extend their weekends by not working in the office on Fridays or Mondays and the loss of the potential benefit from having face-to-face interactions with colleagues that are useful for sharing knowledge and generating creative solutions to product or service problems. Being in the office is especially important today because many jobs require close collaboration with peers or working on team projects. Also, unplanned personal interactions occurring at the office can lead to new ideas or working relationships. The biggest problems for employees working from home is overcoming other employees’ and managers’ perceptions that they are not as productive as they could be, that they lack focus, and that they lose “face time,” which leads to fewer opportunities for promotions.

Tasks: 3 references cited for each to the least please…
1. Analyze whether companies should have a policy that allows all employees to work at home.
2. Evaluate which jobs are best suited for working at home.
3. Analyze what role technology can play in allowing employees to work at home.
4. Explain whether the interaction using technology can replace interpersonal face-to-face interaction between employees or between employees and their manager.
5. Determine why some employees don’t take advantage of flexible work options such as working at home, for example, some believe it hurts their career.