Which of the following is not a prospective benefit to the firm of implementing a telecommuting program?
- higher productivity of telecommuting workers
- greater connectivity and collaboration among employees
- lower operating costs
- more satisfied workers
A successful telecommuting program would include which of the following?
- a written policy that spells out expectations
- an oral policy the manager can change at will
- subjective criteria for each individual worker
- preference for some people to telecommute over others
True or false? Telecommuting presents some difficulties for on-site technology departments providing security and technical assistance.
When considering the issue of work-life balance, which of the following points does not apply?
- Each employee probably assesses this differently.
- Managers and workers as cohorts often have different perspectives on it.
- Workers with families at home should be entitled to a “better” balance.
- All employees have a right to pursue this.
Which of the following is not a potential downside of a corporate campus?
- Impaired productivity
- Reduced ability of labor markets to adjust to changing conditions
- Adverse impact on local businesses
- Increased fiscal burden on local government
True or false? The design of corporate campuses is meant to enhance opportunities for employees to collaborate.
Why do some companies provide free or inexpensive meals for their employees? Are they behaving ethically by doing so?
If you were designing an office building for a mid-size advertising firm, what ideas could you incorporate from this section to enhance collaboration?
Some employers allow workers a compressed work week as long as ________.
- the work can be put off until the next week
- the workplace is a store
- it is a week in which a holiday falls on Monday
- the employee can completely finish the work in a shorter time
The primary reason small-business entrepreneurs might want to hire mostly contract labor is that ________.
- the cost of fringe benefits is reduced
- only contract workers can be part-time but employees must be full-time
- only employees can file workers compensation claims
- it improves the company’s stock price
True or false? One drawback to job sharing is that employees may become competitive with one another, which could cause communication difficulties.
True or false? The terms “sharing economy” and “access economy” both refer to a marketplace that differs from the traditional, more capital-intensive, shareholder-owned corporations.
Participating in the gig economy often means working for a company as a part-time worker with no guarantee the job will last. Why would someone do it?
Robots have usually been operated by a human at the controls but now are becoming more independent. How?
Artificial intelligence and robotics in the United States are thus far largely unregulated. Do you see more regulations coming? Why or why not?
The use of robots at work ________.
- can reduce the exposure of humans to dangerous working conditions
- costs more than human labor
- must first be approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
- is unlikely to affect the number of people in the overall workforce
True or false? Worker displacement is a problem that companies have a legal duty to address when implementing the use of robots.
Worker retraining programs for employees who lose their jobs to robots ________.
- are a “Band-Aid” solution most of the time
- will be needed only for a small minority of the workers who lose their jobs
- are offered and funded by the employers only if a sufficient number of workers are displaced
- are an obligation taken on by ethical companies