Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

B-12 APPENDIX B Industrial/Organizational Psychologymost likely to attract top candidates. Several organizations are creating excellentperk packages to recruit among the diversified field of top candidates. Fortune’s“100 Best Companies to Work For” (2008) shows more companies are offeringtelecommuting (84 percent), compressed workweeks (82 percent), on-site gyms(69 percent), job sharing (63 percent), and on-site child care (29 percent), many ofwhich are highly desirable to different populations such as working parents or olderworkers. Google, Fortune’s Best Company, doesn’t stop there. At Google headquartersin Mountain View, California, employees enjoy an amazing variety of onsiteservices such as gourmet meals, child care, health care, oil changes, car washes,dry cleaning, massage therapy, gyms, hairstylists, and fitness classes, to name just afew. Often called the Google Campus, this laid-back environment has proved successfulin attracting the best candidates in the industry.Telework and Telecommuting: The BestRetention ToolThe latest estimates show that 33 million Americans hold jobs that could be performedat home by telecommuting (Fisher, 2008). Telecommuting programs offeradvantages such as flexible work schedules, more freedom at work, and lesstime wasted commuting. One study focused on the best practices of several teleworkorganizations, including Intel Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, and DowChemical Corporation. These organizations were identified as having model teleworkprograms in place, with recruitment and retention as the primary organizationalbenefits (Telework Coalition, 2006). More recently, the 2008–2009WorldatWork Salary Budget Survey (n = 2,288) reported that the number of respondentemployers offering telework options to their employees jumped from30 percent in 2007 to 42 percent in 2008 (WorldatWork, 2008–2009). As withany major change in the workplace, telework poses new challenges to organizations.How does working from home affect performance, workplace relations, andcareer prospects? A recent meta-analysis asked these and many other questionsabout the effects of telecommuting (Gajendran & Harrison, 2007). Theresearchers found telecommuting has predominantly positive effects for both employeesand employers, including higher job satisfaction, employee morale andautonomy, and improved supervisor–employee relations. I/O psychologists mayguide employers to accept telework as an important solution to many problems.Telework or Telecommuting: Working atHome As telecommunication technologyhas become more widespread, so has thenumber of employees who telecommuteor work from home. For the self-motivatedindividual with good communication skills,telecommuting offers the advantages ofgreater autonomy and flexible time management.On the down side, teleworkersare more likely to work in the eveningsand on the weekends (Steward, 2000).Men and women vary in their reasons fortelecommuting. Being able to earn moneyand care for their children at the sametime is a motivating factor for manywomen (Sullivan & Lewis, 2001). The manpictured in this photograph regularly worksfrom home to avoid a long commute. Hisoffice uses videoconferencing, instantmessaging, and other communicationstechnology to stay connected.