GRE General TestAnalytical WritingMedium
A company is considering implementing a new 'flexible work hour' policy, allowing employees to choose their start and end times within a set window. Management is concerned that this policy will lead to a significant decrease in team collaboration, as employees will be working at different times. Which of the following, if true, would most effectively mitigate management's concern about decreased team collaboration?
- AStudies show that flexible work hours generally increase employee satisfaction and retention.
- BThe company plans to invest in new project management software with enhanced real-time communication features.
- CEmployees who work flexible hours often report difficulty in separating work and personal life.
- DA significant portion of team collaboration already occurs asynchronously through email and shared documents.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. The company plans to invest in new project management software with enhanced real-time communication features.
Management's concern is decreased team collaboration due to different work times. Investing in new software with enhanced real-time communication features directly addresses this by providing tools to facilitate collaboration even when schedules differ, thus mitigating the concern.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This highlights a general benefit of flexible hours but doesn't directly address the specific concern about collaboration decrease.
- C. This raises another potential negative outcome of flexible hours, but does not mitigate the concern about team collaboration.
- D. This suggests collaboration might not be as affected as feared, but it doesn't represent a *mitigation* strategy for the new policy. It describes a current state.
Mitigating a Concern
To mitigate a concern means to introduce information or a proposed action that reduces the severity, likelihood, or negative impact of an identified problem or worry.
- Focus on the specific concern or predicted negative outcome.
- Provide a solution, plan, or existing condition that lessens the impact of that concern.
- Show that the problem is not as bad as feared, or can be managed effectively.
Memory trick: CONCERN: Carefully Observe New Concerns, Consider Options, Negate Expected Risks, Mitigate.