Essay Example on Telecommuting: The Impact of Technology on Work Environments

The traditional work environments have experienced a significant change because of advances in communication technology allowing workers to work from remote locations, or telecommute, which reduces the impact of time and place on organizational communication. Allen, Golden, and Shockley (2015) define telecommuting as a workplace option that permits work to be done at an alternative work site, for example, home supported by technological connections. Technology has improved the ability to communicate and share information with the office, hence creating a virtual office where function and performance are more essential than where the process happens. Telecommuting remains an increasingly popular choice for companies that wish to avail flexibility and autonomy to workers (Narayanan, Menon, Plaisent, & Bernard, 2017). This paper argues that allowing employees to telecommute one day per week can better employees' work-life balance, reduce employees' burnout, stress, and absenteeism, and increase performance and productivity. Similarly, the ability to telecommute is considered an attraction and retention to talented employees and a significant influence on the competitiveness of the organization.

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First, telecommuters are able to experience increased feelings of freedom and discretion since they are removed psychologically and spatially from direct, face-to-face supervision (Narayanan et al., 2017). They experience increased autonomy because of the flexibility they get over the location of their work. Flexibility in work location raises self-reliance in scheduling particular tasks and control over the means of completing them. Additionally, performing one's tasks at home permits control over breaks, clothing, lighting, and other ambient components that can contribute to employees' work-life balance. Moreover, employees can synchronize demands between work and family, and potentially, minimize work-family conflict.

Similarly, an organization that allows employees to telecommute can reap the benefit of reduced costs related to employees' burnout, stress, and absenteeism (Narayanan et al., 2017). In particular, telecommuting can reduce the stress linked to getting ready for and commuting to work. In addition, having to arrive at work, especially at a fixed time every day, leads to distress since lateness had adverse reputational consequences at the workplace. Therefore, having one day that employees are not subject to this distress can contribute largely to reducing stress. Likewise, the flexibility availed by telecommuting can permit greater participation in sports, recreational or social activities that can mitigate adverse physiological consequences of stress and burnout experienced on the job (Allen, Golden & Shockley, 2015).

Further, a happy and productive employee is one who enjoys a healthy work-life balance. Thus, allowing employees to telecommute can increase performance and productivity (Allen, Golden & Shockley, 2015). A primary explanation for this advantage in performance is that performing tasks remotely also means fewer disruptions while working. Likewise, telecommuting can raise productivity through increased working hours made possible by time saved from not commuting. In addition, telecommuting can provide employees the opportunity to modify or tailor the work environment to better match how and when they do their work most effectively (Narayanan et al., 2017). Likewise, the self-efficacy owned by employees when they telecommute has a high impact on their success in the form of performance and work productivity. According to Allen, Golden, and Shockley (2015), self-efficacy is an important aspect in attaining success because it is a major mechanism, where the existence of a goal or a purpose affects the productivity and performance of a person.

Another advantage of telecommuting is that it creates a competitive edge in attracting and retaining the best job candidates who may need a day away to cater to a child or elder care responsibilities (Allen, Golden & Shockley, 2015). Furthermore, it increases the value of the psychological contract workers have with their employers. When a company provides employees with the flexibility to work from home it is relaying a positive signal, visibly demonstrating its trust and support for employees' well-being. The signal can, in turn, generate greater psychological commitment from workers and a lowered turnover rate.

Finally, telecommuting influences the competitiveness of the organization. Moreover, when the company allows telecommuting, employees exhibit great innovation and relational performance (Narayanan et al., 2017). Such contribution is positively related to the entity's profit, measured as actual operating income. Innovation and creativity allow for attainment of a competitive edge in the industry. In addition, increased employee performance and productivity translate into high organizational performance. When a company's productivity is high, then it means that it has a higher chance of performing better than its rivals perform, which gives it a competitive edge.

Conclusion

To conclude, telecommuting that is seen to be an alternative to the routing work arrangements has in recent years been incorporated into many organizations. Entities are now being compelled to incorporate flexible ways into their job structures to keep up with the advances in communication technology. Undeniably, allowing employees to telecommute one day per week can better employees' work-life balance, reduce employees' burnout, stress, and absenteeism, and increase performance and productivity. Similarly, it can attract and retain talented employees and influence the organization's competitiveness. These benefits are substantial because they enable the company to operate more efficiently. Therefore, this paper sees telecommuting as a financially beneficial workplace structure and recommends that the company should allow its employees to telecommute one day per week.

References

Allen, T. D., Golden, T. D., & Shockley, K. M. (2015). How effective is telecommuting? Assessing the status of our scientific findings. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 16(2), 40-68. DOI: 10.1177/1529100615593273

Narayanan, L., Menon, S., Plaisent, M., & Bernard, P. (2017). Telecommuting: The work anywhere, anyplace, anytime organization in the 21st century. Journal of Marketing & Management, 8(2), 47-54. Retrieved from https://gsmi-ijgb.com/wp-content/uploads/JMM-V8-N2-P04-Lakshmi-Narayanan-Telecommuting.pdf