Source 1

Citation: Samuels, Alana. “Does Remote Work Actually Work?” TIME Magazine. 4/6/2020, Vol. 195 Issue
12/13, p42-47. EBSCOhost. Accessed 4/2/2020

Summary: Samuels spends much of article describing different types of remote work, and how different
companies are tackling this new working format. She does spend time addressing the problems
associated with remote work, at least in how it affects a person’s ability to communicate.

Analysis: The source appears to be from Time Magazine, which is a credible source that could help to
substantiate the writer’s credibility. That being said, the statistics on the bottom of the article do not
appear to be cited. The intended audience being the working individual is addressed nicely, though I am
not sold that companies are reluctant to adopt remote work because of ‘a sense of community’.

Response: I like that there are non-cited statistics at the bottom of the article, since these act as nice
leads to find more sources for the paper. This is going to be my primary use of the article, though it was
interesting to see that at least one company has been able to save some money as a result of
telecommuting

Source 2

Citation: Xiaoyan, Li. “Distance Makes Less Difference.” Beijing Review. 2/20/2020, Vol. 63 Issue 8, p20-
21. EBSCOhost. Accessed 4/4/2020

Summary: “Distance Makes Less Difference”, by Li Xiaoyan is a response to a change in the nature of
how work is being accomplished in early 2020. Xiaoyan speaks largely on the growth of the
telecommuting as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. They are examining the growth and benefits versus
compromises experienced as a result of these changes.

Analysis: Searching the name of the author has returned a few different possibilities for who this could be,
and the Beijing Times website does not list this person as one of their columnists. It would also be
pertinent to look into how attached to China this publication actually is, as there is some suspicion
regarding freedom of the press in China as well as how much information about Coronavirus China is
allowing to be released. The article itself is an easy-to-consume high-level explanation of the current state
of working in China.

Response: There are some useful spots in this passage, in that the idea of my paper would be to see how
remote work functions in comparison to working at the office. It is stated that offices are conducting more
tele-meetings in order to ensure productivity, which is exactly what I am looking for. It is interesting that
one person has said their life seems more busy as a result of remote work.

Source 3

Citation: Kim, Seung-Nam. “Is telecommuting sustainable? An alternative approach to estimating the
impact of home-based telecommuting on household travel.” International Journal of Sustainable
Transportation. 2017, Vol. 11 Issue 2, p72-85. Accessed 4/4/2020

Summary: Seung-Name Kim’s “Is telecommuting sustainable? An alternative approach to estimating the
impact of home-based telecommuting on household travel.” has determined that previous studies on the
environmental and temporal effects of telecommuting have inadequacies, and that there are important
aspects that are being ignored. Much of Kim’s study focuses on ‘The Rebound Effect’, a phenomena in
this specific area of study in which telecommuters replace commuting travel time with other travel.
Analysis: This source is a detailed study submitted to a research journal. By this college’s definition, it
would be a much more credible source than any other one listed thus far. It is incredibly detailed and
presents a great resource of information and ideas.

Response: I did not previously consider ‘The Rebound Effect’. Though I am not sure why, as so many
proponents and advertisers of remote work point to travel as being a large benefit of remote work. When
you are able to work from anywhere, you are able to go anywhere. Thus your travel does not necessarily
decrease, or decrease to the amount that one might initially think. There is also the idea that
telecommuting might reduce the environmental impact of commuting. And while in today’s quarantined
world, it might be the case, my paper will not necessarily be focused on quarantine.

Source 4

Citation: Buffer (Site does not list author) “State Of Remote Work”. Buffer. https://buffer.com/state-of-
remote-work-2019
Summary: Buffer has given a list of statistics regarding how remote work is affecting its proponents, and
how its proponents are using remote work. The authors of this article are collecting statistics and
analyzing them for the layman.

Analysis: Buffer points to itself as being a fully-remote company. For that reason some bias is to be
expected. That being said, each statistic they give is immediately cited, and for that reason could be
checked. It could also be expected that the intended audience is remote workers, who are addressed
directly and without fail.

Response: As of writing this, I am a remote worker. I am surprised to relate to some of the statistics listed.
My larges complaint with remote work after a month has been difficulty in disconnecting. I have moved
some of my personal entertainment equipment to a completely different room so that I can separate
myself physically from my work set up. I was surprised to see that even when granted unlimited vacation
time, most would actually only take two or three weeks of vacation every year, which falls in contrary with
expectations.