Preview

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Working at home using computers or telephones is better than working in the office.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
431 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Working at home using computers or telephones is better than working in the office.
The global world of work has seen radical changes in recent years, among which telecommuting, or working from home, stands out as the most remarkable brainchild of this technological age. An increasing number of people choose to complete their work from home and communicate with their offices using computers or telephones. While this may seem like a better option for workers and their employers, there are a number of drawbacks lurking behind the benefits of this development.
A major disadvantage is that telecommuting blurs the line between your leisure time and your work. For most people who work in the office, they have fixed office hours, for example from 9am until 5pm. Anytime outside of that period, except for some rare occasions when they have to work overtime, is considered free time or family time. However, when people start to work from home, they may feel unable to escape their work or separate their life at home from their work. They may start to check their work email first thing in the morning, or they may work late into the night. And because getting to work is so easy without having to commute to the office, they may actually be working longer hours than their office counterparts.
Another disadvantage is that the quality of work may suffer because of the reduced face-to-face interaction with other employees or supervisors. An important element in the successful operation of a company is effective communication between co-workers. This communication is not simply making a few telephone calls or sending a few emails. It involves face-to-face discussions, brainstorming, persuasion or even arguments where innovative ideas and strategic decisions are created. This kind of work atmosphere can never be created in a home environment no matter how sophisticated the technology is.
Finally, once people start working away from the office, there is a decreased sense of working for an institution but instead an increased sense of working for a task or a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Com 140 Exercise 13

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages

    3. Now computers and fax machines make working at home a possibility, these machines connect workers to the company offices.…

    • 326 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Verbal Communication” is overcome by allowing employees almost every opportunity to communicate within simultaneous group-member interaction by networked computers. Allowing escalators vs. elevators, every level management have an open working space rather than private offices. This allows considered responses.…

    • 341 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    With technological advances and the rising popularity of the flexible work environment labeled Results-Only Work Environment (ROWE), the ability to work anywhere and everywhere poses the issue that sensitive company data could be compromised in a telecommuter environment. With an employee’s remote access to company documents, email, systems and proprietary information, there is an elevated risk of equipment theft and security breach.…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    One of the primary advantages of the work@home program is that it creates a cost advantage. Having employees work at home as opposed to in-facility is significantly less costly. According to Table A in the case, annual recurring costs for each individual working in-facility is around $10,650. That is over twice the recurring cost of the average work@home employee with an ISDN connection and over 20 times the annual recurring cost of a work@home employee with a cable modem connection. Given the large quantity work@home employees at Putnam, this program provides a method of greatly reducing recurring costs in the short and long term.…

    • 2097 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Old Reliable

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages

    You are the assistant to Julie Davidson, the sales manager of Old Reliable Life Insurance Company. Julie is interested in equipping her sales force with the technology they need to sell Old Reliable’s insurance products. Most of her salespeople visit customers in their homes or offices. Today, the salespeople carry a laptop computer to show value projections and cash flow summaries for various policies. Many of them also carry a PDA for appointments and a mobile phone. Julie would like to ensure that salespeople have access to the home office server computers while they are making their sales presentations to customers. This access will let salespeople download the latest product information and obtain online assistance from office staff and in house experts when the salespeople get a question from a customer that they are not able to answer. A correct and quick answer to a customer’s question can often help close a difficult sale. Julie asks you to investigate various options for giving salespeople wireless remote access to the home office server computers. She wants you to consider options that use the sales force members’ laptop computers or that use their mobile phones or wireless PDAs.…

    • 252 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Medex Case Analysis Essay

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The definition of telecommuting is having an arrangement and the flexibility to work from home for a business while communicating through the use of technology (Entrepreneur, N.d.). The added benefit of implementing the telecommuting option will engage employees to be more resilient in their productivity. Spending less time in traffic and cutting employee parking expenses will boost morale towards being productive. Employees that stay home don’t have to…

    • 682 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    business and admin

    • 2934 Words
    • 12 Pages

    The benefits of using information technology for doing work tasks within a business, and for others, are vast. One such benefit has allowed for better communication between an organisation and others from around the world no matter where they may be. For example, Mail, images and videos can be sent around the world electronically in only a fraction of a second and for very little, if any, cost. It can actually allow people to visually communicate with each other via devices, such as tablets and mobile phones, and with the use of software on a computer, as if they were sat in front of each other in the same room. It also enables people to search for information easier and quicker via search engines, such as google. Quotes and brochures may be easily sent…

    • 2934 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Telepresence

    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages

    In today’s competitive business environment, enterprises that can effectively communicate, collaborate, and respond rapidly to change are most likely to succeed. However, while enterprises have access to more sophisticated communications tools than ever before to keep employees connected, there is still no substitute for face-to-face meetings, which present a major drain on travel budgets and employee quality of life.…

    • 1737 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    While the majority of the employees in my organization rely on email messages and the internet to communicate with co-workers and other staff members, face-to-face communication is still a popular method of communication in my workplace. Regardless of how effective email messages…

    • 782 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Pamela Gershon, a young software developer from Dayton, Ohio, is thrilled at the prospect of working from home where she would be able to take care of her two small children, three dogs, and a cat. Like many forward-looking employers, Northrop Grumman Corporation, a leading aerospace and defense technology company, is encouraging workers to consider telecommuting. The company has created a formal program with specific policies explaining eligibility and requirements. Currently, only positions in technical sales, information technology, Web and graphic design, and software development qualify for telecommuting. In addition, workers must be dependable, self-motivated, and organized. Because telecommuting is a sought-after privilege, employees with proven high performance, seniority, minimal absenteeism, and superb communication skills receive priority consideration. Telecommuters need to follow company policies determining work hours, break times, and work schedules, even off site. Moreover, they must visit the main office located on Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton at least once every two weeks to report to their supervisors in person.…

    • 334 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Hrm 533 Total Rewards'

    • 1623 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A competitive workplace must be creative and flexible when creating an innovative benefits program. This will allow the program to endure a rapidly changing business environment. Technological advancements have allowed businesses to create virtual workspaces which have become a very attractive benefit for today’s workforce. Allowing employees to work from home has become a very attractive retention tool for employees. Working from home cuts down…

    • 1623 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Telecommuting originally began in 1972 and has continued in various forms for over forty years. Over time, it has become more acknowledged as a legitimate practice for cutting costs and increasing employee satisfaction. However, opponents bring up the points that there are work flow issues, lack of employee accountability and legal issues. This paper will review both the advantages and disadvantages showing why telecommuting should be considered by more employers.…

    • 2357 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Bibliography: 1. Byte Magazine, May 91, Vol. 16 Issue 5, "Is it Time to Telecommute?", Don…

    • 1112 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Electronic communication devices are affecting communication is away like never before. With cell phones, you don’t have to pick up the phone; you can just send a text and talk to people. The same with e-mailing, you no longer have to write letters and mail them. All you need is an email address and you can send letter via the computer. In regards to websites, you don’t need the yellow pages any more. All you have to do is put the business name in a search engine and poof, you have all the information you need on that business. Those are all advantages. The disadvantage to this advanced technology is no one takes the time to pick the phone up and have a real conversation anymore. Pens and paper are only used like before. People no longer have home telephones, they are using the cell…

    • 349 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Electronic communication platforms can mean that employees never meet and this can be extremely isolating. A lack of synergies may result in a decrease in innovation. Therefore future platforms must bring employees together, whether it’s through audio meetings, video conferences or face to face meetings.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics