Sophia Learning
English Composition II
3 January 2023
Research question: Why should employers with the capacity to remote work allow their
employees to work from home?
Working thesis statement: Employers with the capacity for remote work should offer the
option for employees to work from home because of the increased productivity, work-life
balance, job satisfaction, and organizational benefits that remote work provides.
Detailed Outline
I. Working Thesis in Introduction: Employers with the capacity for remote work should
offer the option for employees to work from home because of the increased
productivity, work-life balance, job satisfaction, and organizational benefits that
remote work provides.
a. Hook with a description of statistics on the increase in remote work during the
Covid-19 pandemic to reduce the spread.
b. Introduce concern over preferences of employees: some prefer working remotely,
and some prefer working on location.
Source: McKinsey and Company
II. Increased Productivity
a. Working from home allows employees more time control and autonomy via
location independence
b. Employees feel less time pressure
c. Decrease in disturbances and interruptions due to social interactions
d. Employees that work remotely are more engaged, enthusiastic, and committed to
their work
e. 35-40% more productive than office counterparts
Source: Wohrman and Ebner on how telework affects working conditions
Source: Gallup, 2017
Source: Forbes, 2020
III. Increased Job Satisfaction & Work-Life Balance
a. 73% of employees surveyed said working from home improved their work-life
balance
b. Women who have just given birth had lower levels of depression when allowed to
work from home
c. While remote working has increased working hours, “savvy employers are
making lasting changes to support their staff needs.”
d. As remote work increases, so too does job satisfaction, up to a point.
e. Employees have lower turnover intentions and higher supervisor evaluations of
job performance
f. Remote workers are more satisfied than office-based employees (mediated by
work-life conflict)
g. 49% of Kantar employees surveyed believe working under new remote conditions
has increased their job satisfaction
Source: Forbes, 2020
Source: SHRM, 2020
Source: Allen, Golden, and Shockley (2015) on how effective telecommuting is
Source: Gajendran. Harrison, and Delaney-Klinger (2007) on telecommuting’s effects
on work performance
Source: Bailey and Kurland (2002) on reviewing telework
Source: Kantar (2021) Employee Satisfaction Survey
IV. Benefits the Company
a. Increased Performance – 40% fewer quality defects
b. Increased Engagement – 41% lower absenteeism
c. Increased Retention – 12% turnover reduction after remote agreement
d. Increased Profitability – 21% higher profitability
Source: Forbes, 2022
V. Counterargument
a. Results on Job Satisfaction are inconsistent
b. Isolation can set in due to no social interaction
c. Increased likelihood of overworking
d. Home office costs
Source: Intuit, 2022
VI. Rebuttal
a. Telecommuting by choice has been shown to improve employee well-being,
vigor, and job satisfaction
b. Reduction in emotional exhaustion and burnout
c. 87% of employees work remotely when given the choice
Source: McKinsey & Company
Source: Vanderstukken et al. 2022
VII. Conclusion
a. Employers could benefit from offering a work-from-home option for employees
that prefer to work remotely, as they tend to perform better.
Source: Forbes, 2022
Reflection Questions
1) Learning to conduct research is important because it is a skill you will use both in
academia and in your professional life. It improves critical thinking and empowers you
to find information for yourself. Consider the process of researching as a whole. What
was the most challenging aspect of the process for you? (2-3 sentences)
What I found most challenging during this process was finding peer-reviewed articles that
support my argument. Most of the articles I came across covered the pros and cons of working
remotely. I was more interested in finding articles that offered some statistics that supported the
pros and cons of remote work.
2) The working thesis statement is a proposed answer to your research question. It should
clearly identify a debatable topic and take a position on one side of that topic. Analyze
the effectiveness of your working thesis statement.
My working thesis statement identifies my position on the topic of whether employers that
offered a work-from-home model during the Covid-19 pandemic should force employees back
into the office. My thesis statement also includes three reasons that support my stance and serve
as the topics for my body paragraphs.
3) A detailed outline is an effective tool for laying out the progression of an argument. It
allows you to consider the arrangement and organization of your ideas, as well as
choose places to incorporate outside source materials. Review your detailed outline and
summarize the argument you’ve presented.
This outline begins by introducing statistics on the number of organizations that offered remote
work-from-home options as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. It then highlights that some
employees enjoy the freedom of working from home and have thrived, while others are anxious
to return to the office. After the rollout of vaccines, many organizations are considering a return
to the office, and the introduction concludes by suggesting that organizations should offer
employees a choice to continue working remotely. The body paragraphs present supporting
evidence on the basis of increased productivity, work-life balance, job satisfaction, and
organizational benefits before addressing and countering opposing views in the counterargument
paragraph. The conclusion readdresses these benefits before offering a solution for organizations
that are considering returning to an in-office model.
4) You will use the same topic on three of the remaining Touchstones in this course. What
kind of feedback would be helpful for you? What are specific questions you might have
as you go deeper into the research process?
I found evidence to support my position, but I would like feedback on the order of my
paragraphs. I think my argument is neatly organized, but I’d like to know if my argument is
ordered as strongly as possible. I am also curious if there are any obvious supporting reasons for
my argument that I might have left out.
Touchstone 1.2 Rubric and Feedback
Rubric Category Your Grade
Research Question (10 points) – 20%
Advanced (100%) – Constructs a precise and focused research question relative to a current an arguable topic.
Working Thesis (10 points) – 20%
Advanced (100%) – Includes a working thesis that takes a well- articulated, clear, specific position on one side of an issue.
Detailed Outline (15 points) – 30%
Advanced (100%) – Outline is thoroughly developed and clearly labeled with effective notes, such that the reader can easily see how the essay will build its argument; all necessary elements of the outline are present.
Style (5 points) – 10%
Advanced (100%) – Demonstrates thoughtful and effective word choices, avoids redundancy and imprecise language, and uses a wide variety of sentence structures.
Conventions (5 points) – 10%
Advanced (100%) – There are only a few, if any, negligible errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and usage.
Reflection (5 points) – 10%
Advanced (100%) – Demonstrates thoughtful reflection; consistently includes insights, observations, and/or examples in all responses, following or exceeding response length guidelines.
SCORE: 50/50
Nathan,
Great start! You have a focused and arguable research question and thesis, and your supporting points all appear to be in order and backed up with credible evidence. I look forward to seeing where this project goes! – James