Economic Stimulus Act of 2008

Economic Stimulus Act of 2008

DQ1b. "Call centers and home working (or teleworking) solutions provide the answer to many process design problems of the 21st century. However, their use can be fraught with ethical problems and has wide-ranging implications for operations management." Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Base your answer on research, your readings and your experiences

Telecommuting can be a solution to many of the problems posed by the need to strike an effective work and family balance, especially for women. A parent or an individual caring for an ailing or elderly family member can do his or her work using a computer or telephone. The child can be cared for, and be assured by the presence of his or her parent, but the parent can still be productive and 'at work.' Also there is no loss of time due to a lengthy commute, and time is a precious community for everyone, but particularly for parents. In an era where parental leave is scarce, as is affordable day and senior care, telecommuting may be the only solution for some employees otherwise they may not be able to work at all.

From the business' point-of-view, telecommuting has its advantages as well. It reduces the cost of maintaining workers in a brick and mortar enclosure, thus reducing utility fees on everything from desks, to office supplies, to lighting extra rooms. Because the focus is on productivity, rather than punching a clock, workers telecommuting from home may be more rather than less productive than on-site workers. Yet from the point-of-view of the worker, this method may also result in him or her doing more work for less compensation. He or she is responsible for the housework and taking care of errands that can only be run 9-to-5. He or she is faced with distraction of children, pets, and repair people, all the while trying to do his or her paid office work. The bubble of the outside office that seals away such annoyances may seem welcome, rather than a burden after such a 24-7, 7 day a week workweek. America has already come under fire for being a 'Blackberry culture,' where workers are always plugged into their offices. The telecommuting worker has no choice, and must be continually held hostage to his or her cell phone, computer, or PDA.

Telecommuting workers may suffer socially, emotionally, and psychologically because of their isolation, and also find that they are working harder for the same amount of pay as traditional laborers. For telecommuters, there is no downtime chatting with colleagues, no office betting pool, no surreptitiously surfing the web for bargains on Cyber Monday. Work is always there, piling up and the telecommuting employee comes to believe he or she must always be working.

Another problem with telecommuting is that it holds the potential to 'mommy track' workers, even if the workers are merely telecommuting because of the logistical needs of the company, not because they are trying to balance work and family needs. The home workers do not have the opportunity to learn from or network with their colleagues. They may feel and actually be 'out of the loop' of office politics because they lack a physical presence in front of their colleagues and superiors. As Woody Allen once observed, sometimes the most important thing in life is just showing up.

Additionally, not all telecommuting workers are conscientious about doing their work. Without the supervision of a living, breathing manager they may use the extra freedom to slack in their duties, and unless an effective monitoring program is in place, workers at home may cost the company money. They may even be less productive, relatively speaking, than they would be in the office because of the lack of a motivational presence of colleagues, whose input and socially facilitating team spirit can encourage productivity.

Call centers are another way in which companies have used technology to reduce labor costs. In this case, the company usually employs workers in countries with less expensive sources of labor to answer questions about a product or service. This can be beneficial for the workers living in countries such as India or other areas of the developing world, as they have access to what is for them better-paying jobs (or simply, jobs in general) not provided by the local economy.

However, the separation from the company's core corporate headquarters and culture can encourage workers to be less loyal and slack in their duties once again. The fact that the workers come from a different business culture than the U.S. employees may further make the creation of effective monitoring and using 'carrots and sticks' a problem in terms of managerial motivation. Managers are simply not 'there,' ensuring that the work is being done in a specific manner. Customer relationships may be another issue -- no matter how well trained, foreign call center employees may lack the intuitive sense of how to relate to American callers, and present an inconsistent 'face' for the company that is contrary to its desired image.