Social Needs Assessment™ Module

Social Needs Definitions
Task Independence: An employee’s ability to work and problem-solve independently with minimal supervision and feedback.

Interpersonal Independence: An employee’s need for social interactions and the level that these needs are met at the workplace.

Telework Frequency: The amount of time an employee will be teleworking, and how that time impacts their task and interpersonal social-needs dynamics.

As part of an employee’s overall ability to effectively telework, task and interpersonal independence are essential, along with the number of days a teleworker will be working remotely. The impact of social needs on an employee’s success in a telework environment can be directly addressed through a thoughtful telework implementation.

For example, a teleworker with a low Task Independence score can address this issue through planned remote collaboration with co-workers and the use of collaboration technology. A teleworker with a low Interpersonal Independence score can address this by augmenting social interaction while teleworking. As the number of days an employee teleworks increases, the need to address any social-needs concerns pinpointed by the SNA becomes more essential.