High specialist turnover rates at MedEx is an issue the human resource manager Harry Davis has been dealing with. The MedEx interview of its employees reveals that commuting to the office was stressful and it mattered to them so much. One candidate during the interview asked if “work from home” for the billing position could be an option. Even though MedEx does not presently encourage employees to work from home, Davis could be thinking of the possibility of telecommuting.
According to Martocchio (2017), telecommuting provides an alternative office atmosphere for daily work. It is flexible and the telecommunicators have the option of working from their comfort, especially a home environment, or elsewhere. Activities that do not need much interaction can be served very well by this approach and thus the best option for billing position at MedEx. Also, it would reduce the overhead costs of office supplies and office space.
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MedEx can benefit by providing the option of telecommuting to its employees. Since the billing specialist position does not require direct interaction among individuals, as such MedEx can have the advantage of lowering their expenses on utility bills as well as office space. Additionally, the survey done by MedEx revealed that parking was a concern for some employees. As a result, telecommuting would motivate the satisfaction and morale of employees. Kratz (2018) argues that telecommuting can improve productivity and also allow MedEx to employ more employees to high turnover positions. Therefore, with motivated employees, the productivity would increase plus it will be easy to recruit talent because a flexible work plan is more attractive to the employees. Also, it will aid employees to balance personal lives and work. The technology is available to support telecommuting. The audio and video conferencing and other software can allow an employee to work from home efficiently.
The advantages are high employee satisfaction, flexibility, reduced expenses (office space and supplies), and retention of stronger talent (Ayres, 2016). Telecommuting can help MedEx to capture all these advantages since employee turnover is a huge concern in the billing specialist position. Telecommuting enables employees with families to balance time at work and with families and at the same time limit the level of stress previously placed on them as a result of long commuting time. Additionally, MedEx can experience general productivity and a more desired and appealing working environment when the employees are motivated.
The main disadvantage is that there is no direct communication or interaction. This may result in low productivity as interaction with supervisors and peers is minimal, and also due to employee isolation that may kill the morale of working (Martocchio, 2017). Also, with time, the quality of work reduces when it is not monitored. Distraction by family matters, television or household duties is another issue. As such, working at home may cause the employees to lose focus than in an office environment. Additionally, it becomes a huge concern to distinguish between personal life and work.
The challenge MedEx would expect is establishing a robust communication strategy. Having some employees working in the office and others from elsewhere would require them to communicate. Therefore, systems like audio and video conferencing need to be in place to connect the employees while working remotely. Another challenge is scheduling particularly when employees have flexible working hours. MedEx must make sure peak and core time are covered. Therefore, making sure that employees who are telecommuting are on duty can be a challenge and supervisors will have tough times in this regard. Maintaining a robust culture is another challenge because the management of employee relations may not be easy while they are working from different settings.
I will recommend MedEx to consider telecommuting. This will offer the employees the chance of being more productive. However, before MedEx begins to offer to telecommute, it should conduct a telecommuting training to equip the employees on the working norms to alleviate the challenges identified and capitalize on the advantages highlighted. I will recommend the employees to have two days a week in the office to allow them to interact and communicate with coworkers.
References
Ayres, C. (2016) 7 Advantages and Disadvantages of Telecommuting. ConnectUs.
Kratz, G. (2018). 5 Benefits of Telecommuting for Employers and Employees. 1 Million for Work Flexibility.
Martocchio, J. J. (2017). Strategic compensation: A human resource management approach (8th ed.). Pearson.
