An Issue Facing Human Resource Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

An Issue Facing Human Resource - Research Paper Example Rays of light slip through the recently washed window, as the sun begins its journey through the sky. A copy machine sounds in the background as well as the quiet hum of hundreds of people beginning their day in their cubical. This is the typical office scene that has defined work culture for the past several decades. There is a change on the horizon, however, that has begun to alter this scene and could prove to permanently change what the ‘typical’ office is defined as. This change, brought on by advance technology and rising cost for both employers and employees is, telecommuting. Telecommuting, or an employee working from home, is quickly becoming the norm for many employees today. It comes with both benefits and challenges, and as with most changes to the workplace, the responsibility for ironing out this transition has been placed on human resource shoulders. However, by taking an in-depth look into the specific challenges this change brings, such as: calculating w ork hours, maintaining office culture and community, and keeping lines of communication open. One can successfully apply good human resource strategies to them, and affectively integrate this new technological practice into the company for all to benefit. The first challenge brought by telecommuting is how to calculate hours worked. When an employee is working from home it is hard for a company to affectively manage whether or not time is spent working or doing other things. One successful approach to this issue is implementing performance management skills for all departments company wide. Performance management bases rewards, and job recognition on the outcome produced, as well as the process one takes in achieving to said outcome. This proves most beneficial when trying to manage the success of an employees work hours when they are away from the office. The company can then set up a schedule for how many hours it should take to complete a task and pay the employee accordingly. Th is type of performance management is not only beneficial for employees that are telecommuting, however, it also benefits for all employees and managers. The American Society for Public Administration, upon switching to a performance management style, stated that, â€Å"Requirements for outcomes-based performance management are increasing performance-evaluation activities at all government levels† (Heinrich 712). This increase in performance evaluation activities comes as a direct result of the fact that performance management focuses on the steps needed to complete the task, it allows room for the employee to feel comfortable asking for help when needed, and not just when a major problem arises, and it gives direct feedback and praise for a job well done. This management style also requires continual communication between employee and management, which helps the telecommuter stay, focused and connected with their company. Another challenge telecommuting brings, that relies he avily on the human resource department to remedy, is maintaining office culture and community when employees are not working in the office. A study done by the Journal of Applied Psychology found that telecommuting less than two days a week had little to no affect on the workplace relationships, however, they stated, â€Å" high-intensity telecommuting (more than 2.5 days a week) accentuated telecommuting's beneficial effects on work-family conflict but harmed