In preparation for Writing Assignments, you have identified a problem or need in your workplace or in your community for which you would like to recommend a solution.
For Writing Assignment, you will write a proposal to conduct research. This proposal will be in the form of a memo.
For this assignment, you will prepare a business memo to a decision-maker(s) requesting authorization to conduct primary and additional secondary research for your final report
MEMORANDUM
To:
From:
Date:
Subject: Proposal to authenticate the conducting of research on the alternative teleworking options to be given to the employees.
Summary
This proposal is for requesting to authenticate the conducting of research on the teleworking alternative for the employees in our workplace. Telecommuting or Teleworking is the workplace option which provides the employees to work from home for one or more days a week. This alternative will help to increase the productivity and performance of the employees and will encourage flexible working hours, reduced absenteeism and a lower turnover rate. This solution has been suggested to overcome the problem of low productivity of the employees regarding punctuality, late hours of work and countless distractions they face during work hours.
What the Problem Is and Why It Needs to Be Investigated
Punctuality:
It is evident that arriving on time is a major challenge in our organization, which has been more evident in the last few years. Employees are needed to commute daily to and from work. There are various reasons due to which employees usually arrive late in the office. It can be as usual as stuck in traffic to being caught in family issues, working late hours, and working at more than one place within a few days (Bauch, 2009). As a result of this lack of punctuality, the overall performance of the company is affected. This problem can be reduced by using teleworking as an alternative for the employees.
Low Productivity
All the employees in our organization are required to work on a daily basis from the work location. A major portion of these employees report working late; this is due to genuine unavoidable situations, including bad traffic jams, family issues, and late-night work schedules. Even after arriving late, these employees face seamless interruptions while doing their work which causes them to fail in achieving their daily targets. It has subsequently effect on the organizational productivity performance (Deveau, 2012).
Overhead Costs
The profit margin due to the economic condition of the country has been declining for the last years. Cutting down the cost of operations is one option to reduce the costs and increase profitability. The rent of office space, commuting costs incurred on the employees, and other costs of office facilities caused by increasing the staff numbers can be controlled by using teleworking alternative (International Labour Organization, 2016).
What Secondary Research I have conducted about the Problem
Various research and academic articles have been conducted and published on the dynamics, challenges, benefits, and strategies of and for telecommuting or teleworking. It is evident that teleworking has inspired research in all disciplines ranging from urban planning and transportation to sociology, ethics, law and organizational studies. It has been found that male professionals and female workers in clerical positions has predominated this alternative. The manager’s willingness has been found to be most important for teleworking. Even though common reasons like employee motivation commute reduction and family obligations are considered instrumental in using this alternative, research does not directly indicate towards it(Bailey & Kurland, 2002). The results of the research have found that telecommuting programs in American companies have resulted in higher productivity, reduced absenteeism, declined turnover rate, and reduction in non-salary related expenses for the employers.
What Primary Research I will Conduct the Problem
The primary research that I am going to conduct for this research will focus on the various telecommuting options which can be implemented in the company for its employees. As the nature of the job varies, the type of telecommuting option changes as well. The research would be conducted among the employees of the organization and its managers. It will aim at finding the most suitable alternative to telecommuting for the company. It would find out the acceptability of the telecommuting among the employees and its managers.
The research will also aid in finding out the solution to the problems mentioned above and how telecommuting can aid in this respect. This research will also be aimed at identifying the resources which are needed to implement this alternative in the organization. The training programs, identification of suitable roles for telecommuting, and performance metrics for teleworkers would be identified to make its implementation successful.
What Benefits Will Result from My Research
There are some benefits which will result from my research. Firstly, the problems mentioned of the organization will be solved effectively by conducting this research. It will also be a further aid in identifying the various causes of low productivity of the company. It is possible that a workable, practical, and effective implementation framework for the teleworking would be presented at the end of this research. Companies and organizations looking to implement teleworking for their employees would aid this research and use it as a reference.
The research would enable the assistance of putting up a system which would enable the identification of resources needed for infrastructure, software, the role of employees, employers, communication protocol, and nature of jobs suitable for this alternative (Hamilton, 2013).
Preliminary Ideas for Solving This Problem
The issues mentioned above and some other issues like absenteeism, job satisfaction, employee turnover rate, and freedom for flexible working hours can be solved to a substantial extent by introducing telecommuting or teleworking in the organization. Potential savings in the office space, utility, rent, and parking can be achieved. The encouragement of flexible working hours would lead to increased job satisfaction and savings in money and time. Research has shown that the productivity of the employees tends to increase with telecommuting and flexible hours. However, it is to be noted that not every job and employee is suitable for teleworking.
Canadian Institute has researched the potential benefits of telecommuting by investigating the benefits which can be incurred by allowing 4.3 million Canadians to work for two days each week from home. National benefits are expected to surge exponentially through the use of this strategy. Productivity is expected to increase with a net benefit of $26.1 billion, while employer benefits are expected to save $2.49 million in staff expenses, and reduced absenteeism is causing $404.617 savings for each employer. Employees are expected to save $8.5 billion in disposable income (Deveau, 2012).
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to reemphasize once again the importance of this research for the overall productivity of the organization, its employee job satisfaction and the turnover rate. It is thus important to consider this proposal and provide authentication to move forward. The results of the research will add value to the organization in finding solutions to the problems mentioned.
References
Bailey, D. E., & Kurland, N. B. (2002). A review of telework research: findings, new directions, and lessons for the study of modern work. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(1), 383-400.
Bauch, Y. (2009). The Status of Research on Teleworking and the Agenda for Future Research. International Journal of Management Reviews, 3(2), 113-120.
Deveau, D. (2012, November 6). Telework: A productivity alternative that hits close to home. Retrieved from https://business.financialpost.com/executive/telework-a-productivity-alternative-that-hits-close-to-home
Hamilton, E. (2013). Bringing Work Home. Boston: The Centre for Work and Family.
International Labour Organization. (2016, November 10). What are the benefits and challenges of telework in communication technologies and financial services? Retrieved from https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_534548/lang–en/index.htm
+447462439809