Touchstone 2.2: Create an Annotated Bibliography

Nathan Daleo

Sophia Learning

English Composition II

14 January 2023

Annotated Bibliography

Bellmann, L., & Hübler, O. (2021). Working from home, job satisfaction and work–life balance

– robust or heterogeneous links? International Journal of Manpower, 42(3), 424–441.

https://doi.org/10.1108/ijm-10-2019-0458

Bellman and Hübler determine that remote work has no clear effects on job satisfaction

and that work-life balance is negatively impacted by remote work, but they do offer that

these findings are only found under certain conditions, such as being under a nonbinding

commitment for remote work. This study concluded that employees that have an agreement

with their employer to work from home are more satisfied with their job and have a better

work-life balance, although not significantly so (p. 437). They also noted that employees

that work from home are happier than those that want to (p. 424). This suggests that

employees that want to work from home are more likely to be successful than those that do

not. The findings regarding job satisfaction and work-life balance will be useful for my

counterargument, while the difference in job satisfaction between those that work remotely

and those that desire to will be useful for my rebuttal.

(Peer-Reviewed Article)

Farrer, L. (2022, October 12). 5 proven benefits of remote work for companies. Forbes. Retrieved

January 10, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurelfarrer/2020/02/12/top-5-

benefits-of-remote-work-for-companies/?sh=2191272b16c8

Laurel Farrer neatly outlines five organizational benefits for companies by offering remote

work. According to Farrer, results from Harvard University, Stanford University, Gallup,

and Global Workplace Analytics have found that increases in productivity, performance,

engagement, retention, and profitability are all potential benefits of remote work. This

article sought after data from these reputable sources because “privately-sourced data is in

danger of biased results” (para. 4). Farrer contends that remote work will and should

continue to be utilized by organizations as the flexibility of working from home will

benefit the categories previously mentioned (para. 5). I plan to use this information in the

body paragraph that addresses the organizational benefits of remote work.

(Credible Website)

George, B. (2021, April 17). Commentary: The pros and cons of working remotely. Fortune.

Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://fortune.com/2021/04/17/remote-work-home-

hybrid-model-future/

This article took a balanced approach in presenting the pros and cons of working remotely.

Bill George explained that employees working from home have more time to spend with

family since they do not need to commute to and from work, and they are better able to

balance the needs of their children while working from home (para. 5). George also

comments on how employees were more focused without the distractions typically found

in the office (para. 6). The cons include limited trust (para. 12) and reduced collaboration

(para. 13). This information will be used to support my argument in the paragraph on

increased work-life balance, while the cons presented in this article will be useful for my

counterargument.

(Credible Website)

Gorjifard, R., & Crawford, J. (2021). Working from Home: Impact on wellbeing and Work-Life

Balance. New Zealand Journal of Employment Relations, 46(2), 64–78.

https://doi.org/10.24135/nzjer.v46i2.63

Gorjifard and Crawford found that the frequency of working from home is significantly

related to work-life balance but that it is dependent on the role a person plays within their

own family (p. 67). They determined that women with children are more likely to

experience challenges working from home as they have to balance work duties and

domestic responsibilities due to their traditional role as a caregiver (p. 64). Gorjifard and

Crawford also noted that being forced to work from home “posed risks of increased work-

family conflict and domestic violence as well as financial stressors” (pp. 68-69). This

source will be useful for the counterargument in explaining how working from home can

be especially challenging for the work-life balance of primary caregivers. Considering their

traditional roles, women are more at risk of struggling to balance professional and

domestic duties.

(Peer-Reviewed Article)

Mitra, A., & Shaw, J. D. (2021). Strategic Benefits to Help Survive and Thrive in Times of

COVID-19. The Journal of Total Rewards, 36–44.

Mitra and Shaw presented findings from a Pew Research Center analysis that 90% of the

job loss during the beginning stages of the pandemic could be attributed to positions that

could not be worked remotely (p. 37). They also offer suggestions for how organizations

can maximize the benefits of telework, from the reimbursement for home-office equipment

and recurring expenses to offering telehealth and communication about mental health tools.

Mitra and Shaw also presented evidence from a WorldatWork survey that showed 37% of

companies have increased investments in technology and automation (p. 38), which

suggests offering remote work is a trend these organizations plan to follow. They do

acknowledge that remote work is more of a tool than a benefit for the employees, but in

order for employee engagement to improve, organizations should craft benefits to help

employees to meet strategic goals (pg. 41). This article will be useful for both background

information in the introduction and in my rebuttal to the counterargument.

(Peer-Reviewed Article)

Senz, K. (2019, July 29). How companies benefit when employees work remotely. HBS Working

Knowledge. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/how-companies-

benefit-when-employees-work-remotely

This Harvard Business School article, written by Kristen Senz, references research from

Prithwiraj Choudhury and discusses the benefits companies can expect from allowing

employees to work remotely. The research found that remote work increases revenue and

cuts operating costs (para. 2). Choudhury’s research is concerned with determining an

underlying characteristic that drives the desire to work remotely, and he claims that this

characteristic is also related to productivity (para. 8). This study concluded that

productivity increased when employees worked remotely and continued to increase as they

shifted toward a “work-from-anywhere” policy (para. 10). This article will be useful in the

paragraph that addresses the organizational benefits of remote work, as well as my rebuttal

to the counterargument.

(Credible Website)

Wöhrmann, A. M., & Ebner, C. (2021). Understanding the bright side and the dark side of

Telework: An empirical analysis of working conditions and Psychosomatic Health

Complaints. New Technology, Work and Employment, 36(3), 348–370.

https://doi.org/10.1111/ntwe.12208

This article analyzed the pros and cons of working remotely, considering working

conditions and health complaints. Their research found that employees working remotely

had greater work autonomy as they had control over their working time (p. 363). They also

found that remote employees experienced fewer disturbances and interruptions compared

to working in the office (p.364). On the other hand, they noted that remote employees felt

greater time pressure, and the quality of relationships with coworkers lessened. The

information from this research will prove useful to both my counterargument and rebuttal.

(Peer-Reviewed Article)

Reflection Questions 01. Accurately recording bibliographic information is essential and saves you time, as

you can transfer this information to the References page of your drafted essay. Each

source entry should include a brief summary of the source as well as 3-4 sentences

describing how you intend to use that source to build or support your argument.

Discuss how your annotated bibliography meets these criteria. (2-3 sentences)

Each entry contains a few sentences detailing the relevant findings and how they will be

used to support my essay. I’ve identified sources for background information in the

introduction, individual body paragraphs, my counterargument, and the rebuttal. Each

source is formatted to APA standards and only contains useful information and the intent

for that information.

02. Which strategies were most helpful for you when searching for credible sources? (2-

3 sentences)

Identifying sources that were peer-reviewed was the most useful strategy. Knowing that

peer-reviewed journals typically include a thorough vetting process before articles are

published helped put my mind at ease. Finding more recent articles was also a relevant

strategy. Older articles might contain outdated information that won’t be useful.

03. What difficulties did you face while searching for credible sources? How did you

overcome these difficulties? (2-3 sentences)

The most frustrating difficulty was finding sources that were available for free. If the

article was from a journal not included within my university’s network, I had to search

elsewhere. Google Scholar was a useful resource in this circumstance.

Touchstone 2.2 Rubric and Feedback

Rubric Category Your Grade

Annotated Bibliography (20 points) - 40%

Advanced (100%) - Meets all source criteria, thoroughly and effectively summarizes the core ideas for all sources, and effectively explains how each source will be used to support the argument.

Quality of Sources (15 points) - 30%

Advanced (100%) - All sources are credible, relevant, and properly formatted as exemplified in the course instructions.

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, formatting, 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,

You did a great job finding these sources! They all appear credible and current, which means their information is likely more reliable as well. You summarized them nicely, and you clearly explain how you'll use each in your essay. Best of luck as you move into the next unit! - James