Learning Intentions / Success Criteria
Learning
Intentions
Impact of IT
Success Criteria
By end of this topic you will be able to describe the positive and
negative impact of IT on areas such as:
• office layout and ergonomics
• employee morale and wellbeing
• working practices:
- homeworking
- teleworking
- collaborative projects
• communication methods
• data handling:
- software applications
- networks
- file management.
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Office Layout
• The layout and condition of the
office will affect work in a number
of ways.
• A poorly designed layout will
disrupt the efficiency of the
workflow.
• Employees who work in large open-
plan environments sometimes
complain of headaches, sore throats
and fatigue, which they believe to
be associated with the building they
work in – poor layout, ventilation,
lighting or even décor.
• The type of layout used
will depend very much
on the type of work
done within the
organisation and ICT
equipment.
• Most organisations will
use one of 2 layouts:
- cellular
- open plan
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Cellular Layout
A cellular layout consists
of individual offices
accommodating one or
two employees.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of a
Cellular Layout Advantages
• Gives individual privacy and
to have one-to-one discussions.
• No distractions as doors can be
closed and allows individuals
to concentrate on their work.
• Ability to personalise the
working space and regulate
heating/lighting.
• Status – allows people to feel
important.
Disadvantages
• Wastes space.
• Difficult to share resources
such as printers.
• Employees may feel isolated
and does not promote team
spirit.
• Difficult to supervise with
everyone in individual offices.
• Uneconomic with regard to
lighting/heating.
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Open-Plan Layout
• An open-plan layout
consists of a number of
individuals working in a
totally open (without any
kind of partition of space at
all) or ‘landscaped’ office.
• Landscaped layouts will use
plants, furniture and
partitions/screens to create
work areas within one large
space. in a large open space.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of a
Open-Plan Layout Advantages
• Easier to supervise.
• Promotes teamwork and
team spirit.
• Resources can be shared,
which saves money.
• Less space is wasted.
Disadvantages
• Lack of privacy, so meeting
rooms may have to be used.
• Can be noisy and lots of
distractions.
• Difficult to suit personal
requirements such as
lighting/heating.
• Does not give an individual
status.
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Ergonomics
• Ergonomics is the study of the working environment and ways to prevent health problems for employees.
• Because of the increased use of ICT employees can develop problems such as eye strain, headaches, backache, RSI and neck pain.
• A well-designed working environment should help to reduce these problems and the risk of sick building syndrome, and can benefit the organisation due to higher moral and motivation, which increases productivity.
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Considerations for a well-designed
ergonomic environment include: • wall colours: colours should be used which are
relaxing and will minimise glare
• lighting: this should be non-glare and desk lamps should be used if appropriate
• noise: consideration should be given to floor coverings and noisy equipment should be placed in a separate room
• heating: good circulation should be provided, with opportunities to adjust heating temperature to suit individual needs
• equipment/furniture: desks and chairs should be provided that adjust to suit individual requirements and are suitable to carry out the work required.
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Advantages of a Well-designed and
Well-laid-out Ergonomic Environment
• Reduces the risk of sick building syndrome.
• Improves morale and motivation and helps
productivity.
• Ensures effective flow of work.
• Promotes health and safety at work.
• Gives a positive image for the organisation.
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Working Practices
Just 20 years ago, employees held either permanent full-time or permanent part-time contracts and carried out their work almost entirely on the organisation’s premises. Most full-time staff worked from 9 am until 5 pm from Monday to Friday.
Today things look very different and organisations use a wide range of employment contracts and working practices to carry out their operations. These changes are due to a number of factors including:
• new technology – particularly the Internet which has made communication and the exchange of information easy, fast and relatively cheap
• competition – the highly competitive business environment has forced organisations to streamline their activities and adopt working practices which are as cost-effective as possible
• social trends – the changing needs and demands of the workforce have influenced organisations to adopt more flexible working practices. Social legislation, reflecting changes in social trends has also forced changes in the workplace.
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Flexible Working Practices
Mode of working
• Office-based
• Homeworking
• Teleworking
• Hot desking
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Different working practices that organisation might
operate include:
Type of contract
• Permanent
• Temporary
• Fixed-term
• Casual
Working hours
• Full-time
• Part-time
• Flexi-time
• Job-share
Type of Contract
Full-time
• Employees work on
average 35-40 hours
per week, usually
from 9:00am to
5:00pm, five days
per week.
• The average full-
time working week
in the UK is the
longest in Europe!
Part-time
• The number of hours and the days of
the week worked will vary and
depend on what is agreed between
the employer and the employee.
• Part-time employees are entitled to
the same wage rates, working
conditions and benefits received by
full-time employees but they receive
them on a pro rata basis – work half
the week, get half the pay.
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Working Hours
Flexitime time
• Employees can choose when they
start and finish.
• Employees will be expected to cover
core times, for example, 10:00am-
12:00pm and 2:00pm-4:00pm.
• Employees can choose their own
start and finish times outwith the
core times so long as they work their
contracted number of hours for the
week or month.
• Employees can accumulate flexi
days by building up a number of
additional hours during the month
and then taking the equivalent days
off later.
Job-share
• This is when two people share one
job, splitting the hours between
them. For example, Jo might work
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
morning.
• Pat will then finish the week by
working Wednesday afternoon,
Thursday and Friday.
• The hours can be split to suit the
individuals who are sharing the job.
• Pay and benefits are also shared.
• It is very important that they keep in
contact so that each knows what the
other has done.
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Mode of Working
• Homeworking – Employees are able to work from home, giving them the
advantages of saving time that would normally be spent travelling, having
greater flexibility to choose when they work and allowing their job to fit in
with their lifestyle. However the downside of homeworking is that there may
be a loss of social contact and the employee may miss out on training
opportunities.
• Teleworking – Employees are able to work away from the office – for
example, on a train, on a plane, while staying in a hotel on business – and stay
in touch with the office via technology such as e-mail, Skype or mobile phone.
• Hot desking – if many employees work away from the office, there may be no
need to have a desk or office for each person. Instead, employees can use any
desk that is free when they are in the office, but need to clear the table when
they have finished working for whoever uses the hot desk next.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of
Teleworking/Homeworking Disadvantages
• 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.
• It is difficult to ensure that staff
are complying with health and
safety requirements when they are
working at home.
• It is difficult to supervise staff
who are working from home.
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Advantages
• 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 won’t
need to accommodate everyone in
the office.
• Allow for the organisation to
retain employees whose personal
circumstances have changed.
In addition, organisations might
choose to:
• Outsource - whole areas of its operations (for example marketing, recruitment or payroll services). They contract another organisation to deliver a service or particular skill rather than employ and train staff of their own.
• Career breaks - can be granted to employees with a certain length of service to take time out from their career to pursue other interests or family commitments. At the end of the agreed period, the employee will return to their position in the organisation.
• Unpaid leave - can be given to staff for a period of time.
• Case loading - has also been adopted in some organisation to replace the more traditional 9 to 5, 5 days a week approach. A shift in emphasis means the completion of a given workload is considered more important than working a set number of hours in a day.
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Advantages of Flexible Working
Practices (Employer)
• Contracts of employment can be used for the hours employees are required so there is a larger pool of labour with a wider range of skills.
• Being able to offer flexible work patterns may suit employees with children, therefore good staff can be retained and the need to recruit and train new employees reduced.
• Happier staff will lead to improved morale and motivation and increased productivity.
• Less absenteeism.
• Savings through cheaper rent/accommodation costs as reduced building space and less equipment is required.
• Short-term contracts can be used to employ staff only when they are needed (especially useful in businesses where demand for their good/service is seasonal).
• Organisations can buy in specialist skills for short-term projects without incurring the need to train/retrain their existing staff.
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Disadvantages of Flexible Working
Practices (Employer)
• It can be difficult to offer training and staff
development to all part-time workers.
• It is not always easy to ensure health and
safety in the home environment.
• It is harder to organise and control a large
number of part-time workers.
• There may be difficulties in communication.
• Technical difficulties when ICT equipment
breaks down.
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Advantages of Flexible Working
Practices (Employee)
• Greater choice and flexibility to suit changing needs and lifestyle, e.g. it makes it easier to combine work and family life especially for single parents or carers.
• Part-time workers tend to have lower stress levels as they have some time to ‘recharge’ themselves on days off.
• Freedom to choose when and where to work.
• Reduction in travel time and costs.
• More accessible for people with disabilities.
• In the long term, employees can benefit from improved skills and experience, having been able to stay with the same organisation for a longer period.
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Disadvantages of Flexible Working
Practices (Employee) • There may be fewer opportunities for staff development and
training.
• There can be feelings of isolation when working from home.
• Hot desking may result in depersonalisation of space, leading
to a feeling of not belonging to the organisation.
• It can be more difficult to develop new relationships.
• Difficult to balance work and home commitments, need for
discipline to work working hours.
• Question of security of job if contracts are increasingly of a
temporary or fixed-term nature – implications for e.g.
pensions, ability to get a mortgage, etc.
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Advancing Technology and
Flexible Working Practices • Development in the internet,
mobile phones and smartphones,
webcams, and video and audio
conferencing mean that
individuals can work
collaboratively with physically
being in the same room.
• Technology such as Skype and
FaceTime has developed this
further, giving employees the
ability to hold meetings in which
each attendee is in a different
location.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of
Collaborate Projects Disadvantages
• Individuals may work at different
speeds.
• Quiet people may not feel
comfortable expressing
themselves and their ideas with a
group.
• Individuals may not feel smart as
the other individuals in the group.
• People, that have never worked
together, may have personalities
clashes which might lead to
arguments.
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Advantages
• Develop team spirit, critical
thinking, and creativity.
• Those projects that use
technology encourages
further learning.
• Each member of the group
has something unique that
he/she can contribute.
• Individuals may meet people
from all over the world
through the use of ICT and
Media.
Advantages/Disadvantages of
Technology Advances Disadvantages
• Some people may feel
awkward in front of a camera
and still prefers a face-to-
face meeting.
• If there is a network fault or
the system crashes then the
meeting will have to be
postponed.
• Management and supervision
of employees’ work and the
number of hours worked
becomes more difficult.
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Advantages
• Meetings can take place around the
world without people having to travel,
which saves time and money. In
addition, more employees can work
‘away’ from the organisation.
• Using Skype or FaceTime is more
personal than telephone calls and allows
people to see each other and observe
body language and other non-verbal
cues, leading to increased clarity.
• Demonstrations can be given online and
files can be exchanged.
Methods of Communication
Communication using ICT is constantly developing.
• Mobile phones: The features of mobile phone technology are always changing. The
main ways to communicate by mobile phone are through SMS, FaceTime and
Skype.
• Email: Email is an extremely quick way to communicate and most email accounts
can also be used through mobile phones. The benefits of using email are that the
same message can be sent to a number of people, files can be sent as attachments
and it can be used anywhere in the world.
• Instant messaging: This allows you to have a private chat or discussion with
another user. You can exchange messages in real time, which is just like a telephone
conversation but using text.
• Wikis: This is a collection of articles on the internet that users can add to and edit
freely.
• Blogs: This is an online diary where thoughts and opinions can be displayed.
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Advantages of E-mail
• Fast way of sending information and so speeds up communication.
• Information is sent electronically so costs of paper and printing are
reduced so more environmentally friendly.
• Files can be attached to e-mails.
• Can create permanent records of who sent correspondence and when.
• E-mail can be accessed anywhere with internet connection.
• Same message can be sent to many people.
• Delivery receipts and read scripts can be used as proof that someone
actually received and read a message.
• Good method of communication when working across the time zones –
allows 24/7 communication.
• Reduces the need for office storage space.
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Disadvantages of E-mail
• Storage issues – limited size of inbox.
• Network problems can delay communication and impact
on workflow.
• Danger of sending e-mails to the wrong person can
breach data handling legislations and/or cause
embarrassment.
• Time stealer – employees may try to use e-mail for
personal correspondence and this can reduce productivity.
• Possible introduction of viruses to a computer system
especially when attachment have been included in the e-
mail. 27
Data Handling: Software
Applications • Most organisations use integrated packages, for
example Microsoft Office, to deal with different types
of data and integrate data between different types of
applications.
• Most organisations will operate their software on a
network basis for common access and communication.
• Some organisations may also use customised software
which has been specially written for the organisation.
• Examples of this might be specialised timetabling or
database packages.
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Common Types of Software
Applications • Word processing: This is used to create various
business documents such as letters, reports,
minutes etc.
• Spreadsheets: These are used to perform
calculations and analyse numeric data.
• Databases: These are used to store vast amounts of
information (like an electronic filing system) about
customers, suppliers, employees etc.
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• Presentation software: This is used to present information using slides and
handouts.
• Electronic mail software: This is a fast, efficient and cost effective way to send
messages anywhere in the world.
• Electronic diary software: This is an electronic calendar and personal organiser.
The only disadvantages of using business software are the cost of purchasing the
software, the time and expense of training staff to use the software effectively and the
effort taken to ensure confidentiality and security of the information.
Data Handling: Networks
Organisations use networks to access and communicate
information without the need for paper copies to be
passed around the office. There are 2 types of network:
• Local Area Network (LAN)
• Wide Area Network (WAN)
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Local Area Network (LAN)
• A computer network that spans a
relatively small area - a single room,
building or group of buildings.
• One LAN can be connected to other
LANs over any distance via
telephone lines and radio waves
creating a wide area network
(WAN).
• Most LANs connect computers and
devices anywhere on the LAN. This
means that many users can share
expensive devices, such as laser
printers, as well as data.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of a
Local Area Network (LAN) Advantages
• Easy to share peripherals such as
printers and photocopiers, which
can reduce costs.
• Make it easier to share files and
information with employees.
• Back-ups can be taken on a
regular basis, which reduces the
chance of losing files.
• Security can be set to restrict
access to certain areas of the
network (access rights).
Disadvantages
• If the network goes
down, then no-one can
access files, which will
slow down
productivity.
• If the file server is
damaged or stolen then
all files could be lost.
• A virus can spread
very quickly over a
LAN.
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Wide Area Network (WAN)
• A computer network that spans a
relatively large geographical area.
• Typically, a WAN consists of two
or more local-area networks
(LANs).
• Computers connected to a wide-
area network are often connected
through public networks, such as
the telephone system.
• They can also be connected
through leased lines or satellites.
The largest WAN in existence is
the Internet.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of a
Wide Area Network (WAN) Advantages • Data can be
transmitted
between branches
very quickly.
• Gives easy access
to the internet.
Disadvantages • People outside the organisation
could have access to your data
so there need to be tight
security measures in place.
• There is no control over
external websites – they can be
removed or changed by the
owner so some pages could
become unavailable.
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Internet (E-commerce)
• E-commerce (electronic
commerce or EC) is the buying
and selling of goods and
services, or the transmitting of
funds or data, over an
electronic network, primarily
the Internet.
• These business transactions
occur either business-to-
business, business-to-
consumer, consumer-to-
consumer or consumer-to-
business.
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Advantages/Disadvantages of the
Internet (E-commerce) Disadvantages
• Cost of setting up and
maintaining website.
• Security issues.
• Loss of face-to-face
contact.
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Advantages
• Able to reach a wide
range of customers.
• Access to the site 24/7
• Reduced costs.
• Monitor customers for
marketing purposes.
Data Handling: File Management
File management is the organisation of computer files. Organisations will put
their own procedures in place to ensure that files are stored properly.
Procedures should cover:
• File locations: information should be given on where files should be
stored, e.g. on the server, in which location and whether an external storage
device is required.
• File names: files should be stored in named folders with appropriate file
names that will make it easy to find files.
• Routine maintenance: information should be provided to staff about
deleting unnecessary files as storage may need to be freed up on the server.
• Back-up procedures: back-up copies should be made on a regular basis
and staff should know the procedure for this. Some servers may
automatically back up data on a regular basis.
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Consequences of Poor File
Management File management is really important to organisations and it is vital that
information can be found when needed. If good procedures are not in
place then the following can happen:
• time will be wasted looking for files, which can lead to stress for
staff
• relationships with customers could deteriorate as they may complain
if information cannot be found
• computer systems could slow down as the server is holding too
many files
• wrong management decisions could be made if out-of-date
information is used
• there could be legal implications regarding data handling.
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