From Jeremy: Here’s an interesting post regarding telework. I think that it discusses some interesting information about the benefits and potential downfalls of telework. Should help inform. Hope you enjoy it.
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One of the larger studies done on teleworking has confirmed that it could have a negative impact on performance. The study consisted of 9 different organizations and 18 separate teams, all in different parts of the world, some near and some far.
The outcome of the study showed that without teams being collocated, negativity influenced both electronic and in-person social networking. On the other hand, performance improved when teams worked apart. Additionally, performance was positive for those in the hub of electronic networking whereas teams working in person had no effect.
This particular study identified several things. Lessons learned were that more challenges existed for remote employees specific to the ability to communicate and share knowledge electronically than for employees working together. However, even teams centrally located within an electronic network benefited, specific to getting help from others and receiving additional information. This study also showed that telework compared with distributed teamwork showed one primary difference.
Distributed teams thought nothing of having little in-person contact with others and even electronic communication processes required little interaction. The other team, people teleworking, accepted that at some point, they would be back in the office where they would eventually meet with someone in person, even if it meant a delay in work, or the work not completed.
The second aspect of the study showed that working independent from team members was beneficial. For one thing, these people had a lower number of distractions, which allowed them more time to focus on the work at hand. As a result, these team members actually performed at a higher level. Even so, for collaboration, certain routines and processes had to be in place. To mirror the in-person networks, these teams did not need any type of sophisticated or high-speed electronic solution.
All of the teams that took part in this study conducted business via email and phone. The people that reached the highest level of completion and success had a basic understanding of an electronic network, which provided them with opportunity for meeting goals, as well as getting needed support from the organization through processes appropriate for the task.
Oliver Darraugh has been researching the effects of teleworking on real estate businesses. He has implemented many of the research findings in his own real estate company Sell House Fast, an enterprise built fully on teleworking individuals.
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