working practices

Question 1

flexi-time

Answer 1

can vary start and finish time but must be in work for core hours

Question 2

Part-time

Answer 2

employee works less hours than those on a full-time contract

Question 3

full time

Answer 3

employees work a set number of hours, commonly 9am-5pm five days per week

Question 4

hotdesking

Answer 4

a bookable desk for those who don’t always work in the office

Question 5

teleworking

Answer 5

employees use ICT to work from anywhere in the world

Question 6

teleworking/homeworking advantages

Answer 6

• Allows a better work life balance for employees, which can increase morale and motivation and thus increase productivity
• Reduction in travel, which reduces stress among staff
• Organisations can save money on smaller premises as they wont need to accommodate everyone in the office
• allows organisation to retain employees whose personal circumstances have changed

Question 7

teleworking/homeworking disadvantages

Answer 7

• Staff may feel isolated and it is difficult to promote team spirit
• Staff may find it difficult to discipline themselves to get the work done as there may be more distractions at home
• difficult to ensure staff are complying with health and safety requirements when working at home

Question 8

technology advances advantages

Answer 8

• Meetings can take place around the world without people having to travel, which saves money and time
• Using skype or facetime is more personal than telephone calls and allows people to see each other, see people’s body language and therefore help clarify points
• Allows for demonstrations to be given and files to be exchanged

Question 9

technology advances disadvantages

Answer 9

• Some people may feel awkward in front of a camera and still prefer a face to face meeting
• If there is a network fault or the system crashes then the meeting will have to be postponed