Case Study

1. What is your opinion of the effectiveness of the telecommuting program at the travel agency so far?

I would say that so far the telecommuting program at the travel agency has been effective. Two months into the program, Sue and Russ have not heard of any detrimental problems from the five employees or any of the clients. As it stands, they do not need to find a bigger store front to work out off which saves them from increasing rent/lease payments, electricity and heating and cooling costs. When interviewed, none of the employees who volunteered to telecommute where against it. Some even said it helped their lives either with child care costs or commuting costs.

2. What evidence should Sue and Russ be seeking to know if the telecommuting program is beneficial to the agency?

The evidence Sue and Russ should be seeking to evaluate whether the telecommuting program is benefiting the agency is the money saved by not needed to expand the store front. Yes, they needed to supply the necessary software to the workers, but did it cost less in the long run than costs occurred by expanding? Also, how does the productivity of the five telecommuting volunteers compare now to their productivity in the store? As Sue discovered, Kim, despite Sue’s hesitations, was performing exactly where she needed to. In the case of Kristen, however, is she still performing to par despite the distractions she is facing working from home? Is Kristen’s attitude towards being “alienated” from the agency going to impact her work negatively?

3. What recommendations do you have for Tony so his teleworking will become a more positive experience for him?

I recommend Tony reach out to the other four volunteer teleworkers. They could meet up and discuss work or personal life. They could more or less make a support group for each other. They could also make a blog for work which could help tie the five of them back into the day to day operations at the physical agency. Tony could also...