Innovation and technology

Case: Telecommuting (work from home) with a New Trend

According to Global Workplace Analytics, published in January 2016, there were 3.7 million employees (2.8 percent of the workforce) that are at least half-time telecommuters (working from home). And telecommuters among the non-self-employed population have increased by 103% since 2005. The employee population grew by 1.9% percent from 2013 to 2014, while the employee population who telecommute grew 5.6%. Data from flexjobs.com published in 2016 showed telecommuters save 260 hours by not basis and are 50% less likely to quit their jobs. Half of the U.S. workforce has jobs that are compatible with telecommuting arrangements.

Working from home offers some clear advantages from both employees and employers. It also offers some disadvantages such as lack of control and monitoring, however, this is changing. Using computer-monitoring software, employers are now able to check if employees are working or slacking off (less active). One such software application is InterGuard. To make telecommuting more productive, some employers set targets from each employee to accomplish in a given period. Other employers review summaries of different Web sites that employees have visited an the amount of time that employees have spent on various Web sites.

Some other employers track projects and schedule meetings on shared calendars in order to monitor their employees. Still, other employers require "virtual face time" via e-mail, instant messaging, video chat or calls.

Answer the following questions:

1. According to Global Workplace Analytics, what percent of the staff telecommutes at least 50% of the time?

2. What are some means that employers use to monitors their staffs?

3. What is an example of a software tool that is utilised for staff monitoring?

4. According to the case study, what percent of the U.S. staff has jobs that are matching with telecommuting provisions.