A company recently implemented a new policy allowing employees to work remotely two days a week, expecting it to boost employee morale and productivity. After six months, an internal survey showed a slight increase in morale but no significant change in productivity. The company concluded the policy was only partially successful. Which of the following, if true, would provide the strongest reason for the company to reconsider its conclusion about productivity?
- AMany employees reported that the remote work days allowed them to better balance work and personal life.
- BOther companies that implemented similar remote work policies reported significant increases in productivity.
- CDuring the six-month period, the company also introduced new, more complex project management software.
- DThe survey did not measure the impact of remote work on employee retention, which is a key concern for the company.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. During the six-month period, the company also introduced new, more complex project management software.
The company observes no change in productivity and concludes the policy is not successful in that regard. To reconsider this, one needs to identify an external factor that might have masked a positive effect. If new, more complex software was introduced, it could have naturally decreased productivity, and without the remote work policy, productivity might have dropped even further, meaning the policy actually prevented a decline.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This supports the morale aspect but does not address the productivity conclusion directly.
- B. What other companies experience doesn't directly invalidate the conclusion for *this* company, though it might suggest their implementation was flawed.
- D. This points to an unmeasured benefit, but doesn't challenge the conclusion that productivity itself did not significantly change.
Reconsidering a Conclusion
To reconsider a conclusion means to find new information or an alternative interpretation of existing facts that suggests the original conclusion might be flawed, incomplete, or based on an incorrect premise.
- Introduces a confounding variable.
- Reveals a hidden effect.
- Suggests a different causality.
Memory trick: Revisit conclusions when new info shifts perspective or uncovers hidden effects.