Scenario #12: Virtual Workplace: Out of the Office Reply
I. Introduction
Telecommuting is a flexible working option that many companies have embraced.
The advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting are highlighted in this
scenario. Instructors of Management or Human Resources may use this situation
to discuss managing teleworkers and the need for clear and consistent policies.
II. Learning Objectives
1.
2.
To assess students’ understanding of the challenges of telecommuting.
To analyze and evaluate managerial actions related to telecommuting.
III. Scenario Description:
Overview: Three months ago, Ralph Ramos assigned a number of employees to
work as telecommuters to alleviate the lack of space in their office building.
Among them was Angela Zononi, an employee and friend for over four years,
who was delighted to work from home since her commute to the office was
particularly time-consuming. Although things went relatively smoothly for the
first six weeks, since then communication and performance have taken a steady
downturn. Angela has biweekly meetings with Ralph in his office. Lately they
have had unprecedented arguments and frequent misunderstandings.
Profile:
 Ralph Ramos is the Senior Manager of Claims, managing a 75 employee
department, at Saber Union Insurance, an international insurance
company.
 Angela Zanoni is a Claims Investigator at Saber Union. She has handled
very large accounts, including insurance fraud cases, resulting in multimillion dollar recoveries for her company.
References: The references included in the DVD are:

Advantages and Challenges for Employees (PPT 12-3)

Advantages and Challenges for Employer (PPT 12-5)

Telework Assessment Tool (PPT 12-7)

Supervisor Checklist for Telecommuters (PPT 12-9)
Back History: Angela was one of five employees that moved to home offices
three months ago. She had volunteered right off the bat because she could spend
more time with her family if she eliminated all that commuter time [on a bad day
she was losing over three hours roundtrip!]
The telecommuting has had it’s ups and downs but her relationship with Ralph is
going downhill. They’ve been having frequent misunderstandings, and a few
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small arguments. Angela feels that Ralph’s operating on an out of sight out of
mind mentality. He doesn’t even seem to read the email reports very closely.
They do meet every two weeks at the office as a check-in but it’s a pure formality.
To make matters worse, a colleague who works in the office told her about all the
high stakes claims another investigator, Bob, has been working on. Angela hasn’t
had anything ‘hot’ in weeks.
Ralph is happy with the way things are working out. The office is no longer overcrowded or disturbingly noisy. The telecommuters are doing their work and
reporting regularly. He is having more trouble staying on top of their reports and
their projects but that’s probably because he’s so busy.
Scene Set-up: Ralph and Angela are meeting to discuss their recent
miscommunications and Angela reveals her dissatisfaction with her recent
treatment.
Scene Location: Ralph’s Office
The Meeting - Summary: Ralph brings up the missed deadline and Angela says
she was not informed that the deadline had been moved. Ralph explains how the
information was conveyed. She says she feels that she is out of sight, out of mind
and that since she began telecommuting it has hurt her career. She notes that Bob
has received more high-stakes claims than her recently. Ralph explains that
assignments to employees are based on their talents and experience and that Bob
had experience with one client which is why he chose him. Ralph says he didn’t
realize she was feeling this way and wasn’t prepared. He suggests they meet
later.
Two weeks later – Angela misses an appointment with Ralph and deliberately
fails to provide work on time. Ralph wants to understand what has happened to
change the good working relationship they had. Angela threatens to resign, but
Ralph maintains his composure and urges her to try to work out a solution with
him. They decide that for the next two weeks they will talk on the phone
everyday. Then, they will decide if Angela should come back to the office rather
than telecommute.
Afterthoughts – Summary: Ralph states his strategy was to listen to Angela. He
notes that he often has issues with people working from home because it’s
difficult to keep track of what is going on. He feels voicemail and email are
impersonal. He drafts written plans with employees who want to work from
home that outlines goals. The plans are executed on a temporary basis until it is
clear that they will work and then he gives final approval.
Dossier: The specific artifacts included in the DVD are:
1.
Emails between Ramos and Zanoni
2.
Voicemail from Sorento to Zanoni
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3.
Ramos’ Assistant’s Voicemails to Zanoni
IV. Discussion Questions:
The References and related Discussion Questions may be found in PowerPoint slides 121 to 12-9.
Learning Objective #1: To assess students’ understanding of the challenges of
telecommuting.
1. What advantages and disadvantages to telecommuting is Angela experiencing? See
PPT 12-3.
Angela enjoys not having to commute and likes to be closer and more available for
her family. The voicemail from her friend indicates that she may be losing the
personal relationships she enjoyed at work because of decreased interaction. She
clearly feels left out of certain decisions and is concerned her career may be impeded.

1. How should Ralph respond [when Angela says “since I’ve been
working from home, I’m out of sight”]?
A. Compassionately
B. Clarify issues
C. Debate point
Ralph attempts to clarify the issues to calm Angela down.
2. What advantages and disadvantages to managing a telecommuter is Ralph
experiencing? See PPT 12-5.
His intention was to improve moral and job satisfaction of Angela by cutting down
her commuting time. In actuality, the opposite result has occurred. He blames this on
the difficulty coordinating and controlling staff and monitoring their
performance. He is clearly frustrated by not being able to reach Angela readily
when important work-related matters arise.

2. What is Ralph’s strategy?
A. Emphasize strengths
B. Hide biases
C. Change topic
Ralph tries to emphasize Angela’s strengths and explains that Bob was chosen for
the higher stakes assignment because of is past experience, not because he is in
the office more regularly.

3. How was this [initial] meeting?
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A. Successful
B. A failure
C. A good start
It appeared that the meeting was a good start, but Angela’s actions in between the
two meetings indicates that she is very upset and feels discriminated against
because of her working arrangement.
Learning Objective #2:
telecommuting.
To analyze and evaluate managerial actions related to
1. What should Angela have done to prepare herself for telework? Refer to PPT 127.
Angela needed to really assess whether her work style was suited for
telecommuting. While there are obvious advantages (shorter commute time),
there are some less obvious disadvantages. One needs to assess themselves on the
degree that the reality of telework will impact them. The questions found in PPT
12-7 would be a good start in this assessment.

4. Angela is dejected. Ralph should focus on:
A. Her value
B. Her poor performance
C. His mistakes
Ralph should help Angela realize her value to the organization and explain that he
did not intend to make her feel left out.
2. What should Ralph have done to prevent this problem from occurring? Refer to
PPT 12-9.
Completing the Checklist provided in the slide would be effective.
Specifically, for their situation, a more formalized communication process
needs to be created.

5. What should Ralph do [when Angela says she want to resign]?
A. Accept resignation
B. Try new approach
C. End meeting
Because Angela is a valuable and long-time employee he should try a new
approach with her to urge her to work out this problem.

6. What’s Ralph’s next step?
A. Find replacement
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B. Communication often
C. Reassign work load
Ralph’s next step is to communicate more frequently with Angela to see if
performance improves and if the telecommuting arrangement will work in
the future.
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