24 Hour Ph Probe Study

Admin | November 20, 2011 | Comments Off

24 Hour Ph Probe Study

24 Hour Ph Probe Study

Teleworking, the practise of working away from the office, either at home or at a remote location, is frequently recognized for the perceived benefits that it provides to both the employee and the employer. But can telecommuting create challenges to employee relations, such as impeding career development or preventing team interaction?

Research within the human resources, psychology, and communications fields reveal that this is a real concern, but these barriers can be mitigated through effective telemotivating, or guidance without a physical presence.

The Benefits of Teleworking

The benefits that are commonly cited for teleworking are increased productivity, better flexibility of work schedule, the perception of a better work/life balance, and the reduction of the individuals and the company’s carbon footprint.

According to Gajendran and Harrison in their 2007 article, The good, the bad, an the unknown about telecommuting: Meta-Analysis of psychological mediators and individual consequences in the Journal of Applied Psychology, it's estimated that close to 45 million Americans teleworked in 2006, up 4 million from 2003. If the job requirements can be done remotely, the teleworker is able to apply the time that they would normally spend travelling to and from work towards productive, task-related activities.

A five-year study concluding in 2003 showed that for call statistics within the Kentucky American Water Company, teleworking did improve productivity. The employees that teleworked improved their average productivity by 154% over 13 months, compared to the in-office employees that saw a 13.3% decline in productivity in the same period, as per Butler, Aasheim, and Williams in Communications of the ACM, "Does Telecommuting Improve Productivity?"

These statistics were based on data retrieved from the company’s records, not self-reported productivity gains from the employees. A separate study by Gajendran et al. hypothesized that because of the increase in the value of the psychological contract the teleworker has with the company, it was believed they would be more productive without direct supervision

Gajendran and Harrison were able to conclude through meta-analysis that there was no measurable connection between teleworking and productivity when it was self-rated, but based on supervisor ratings or archival records, productivity was positively impacted. The teleworker doesn’t think they are doing more work, but their supervisors do.