Virtual Employees - No Time Spent Working Physically in Office - Essay Example

Part A i) Virtual employees - 100% virtual; no time spent working physically in office In case of a scenario, where employees are 100% percent virtual and spend no time in office, the communication has to be largely cyber (email) and mobile phone based. All the procedural, structural, and policy changes can be conveyed on the email. The employees should be asked to deliver personalised response to each mail emanating from any employee. It will help the deliverer of the message to know whether the information has reached right quarters and what steps have been initiated in response to the email. One email identity on a common email server should be used by all each employee. For the general information from the Head Office a mail feedback form should be available on the system of the employee. Since the employees are not functioning from offices Instant Messages through virtual messengers can’t be used because simultaneous online presence of employees is impossible. The Daily Correspondence can be effectively handled through emails and single text message can be used to convey information to all the employees instantaneously. In case of inter personal communication with a personalised message on the mobile phone, to check email can help. Alternately, all employees can be asked to activate mobile phone message flash for every email received with help Internet service provider and mobile phone operating company. Another effective way to coordinate communication will be by asking all employees to check their emails at least thrice a day. This will ensure deliverance of routine correspondence and messages. Another alternate way is to flash a message on the telephone asking the employees to check their emails for time sensitive information. Telephonic conversation should be used to convey bad news messages. The employee delivering the message can add a sobering influence in such a case. In case of some bad news or emergency messages, that relates to all the employees, email should be used and a simultaneous message to check emails can be delivered on the cell phones. Telecommuters or remote workers - majority of time spent working in office ii) When most of the staff are telecommuters and operate largely from virtual offices, the cheapest, the fastest method, the most reliable and foolproof method of communication is through online Instant Messaging. The messenger of any commercial operator like AOL, Yahoo, or Google can be used. Alternately, a small and a specific web application can be developed that is installed on the telecommuter’s computer system. The moment, the computer is switched on, the telecommuter goes online. A buddy list on everybody’s messenger can be created that highlights the name of the employee when he or she is online. Instant messages can be flashed as the employee works most of the time in the office. In case of message being delivered in the employee’s absence the messenger can store and pass on the message when the employee goes online. The presence or absence of an employee can also be known through IM. A mechanism can be built into the application that whenever keyboard lies out of use for more than half an hour, the name of the employee in the ‘buddy list’ goes dull. The IM will also be helpful in exercising greater organisational control, and greater interpersonal relationship, when the employees are remotely located. If the employee is working on a tight time schedule, he could be given the option of keeping a ‘Don’t disturb.’ Part B i) What is the purpose of the report? And what are the authors ultimately trying to persuade you to believe? Use examples and explain whether you believed the article to be effective or not. The purpose of the report is to study the effectiveness of Instant Messaging (IM) in a computer mediated work environment. The report also studies the social ramifications of Instant Messaging methodology and compares it with other methods of communication like email and telephones. Through a study conducted on the workers of KME, a software products and services company, in the light of Theory of Social Translucence, the authors also studied, the implications social relationships had in electronic communication and vice-versa. The study establishes that employees relied more on IM than email or FTF (face to face) methods for communication in one to one (dyadic) relationships. IM is a reliable, efficient, and a friendly way of communication amongst the employees in downward, upward hierarchy and horizontal interpersonal relationships. IM increases awareness levels of employees, improves visibility and accountability thus bettering the organisational control and social relations therein. On the flip side, the workers didn’t want to use IM while working under difficult situations, strict timelines and to hide their presence or absence. In such cases, employees preferred to be selective in their approach. IM introduces responsiveness in the employees as both superior and subordinate employees know that messages have to be acted upon immediately. IM supports loosely bound sparsely knit “network individualism” (Wellman) than interactions in densely knit networks. On the whole, IM is a sound substitute for conventional communication techniques and authors ask for a greater human trust to use IM more vigorously in their work. ii) According to the authors of the article, how does IM compare to email and other methods of communication in the workplace? According to the authors, IM was much better, prompt and efficient communication tool than email and other methods of communications in the work place. Vis-à-vis the email system, IM established communication and elicits response sooner. It also helps to break the social and hierarchical barriers in communication and an employee can state his or her idea clearly and without ambiguity. Furthermore it helps in creating a virtual discussion. The IM doesn’t come off good when instructions or information from one end is descriptive and not objective. The use of IM in favour of email is also resisted by the employees when it serves to convey social information and the employees intend to hide it like presence or absence in office. Emails require a user to log on to a special program whereas IM can be available as and when the computer is switched on. As compared with face to face (FTF) and telephone communication, the IM doesn’t have social cues. This helps the sub-ordinates to maintain the critical distance with the superiors in one to one communication. But in the same vein it is emphasised that in case of differences and disagreements, IM gives a practical way out for passing on one’s ideas. IM helps in saving time and establishment of immediate connectivity. IM is also more effective than conventional means when a message has to be passed to a large number of employees and FTF and telephone may score over it in one to one messaging. Read More