my previous employer used IM to great effect. It was easier to reach someone through IM than the phone, and much faster than email.

The article headline is about tardy employees benefitting from IM....

BUT nowhere in the article does it state just HOW using IM is helping employees who are late to work...??

Unless of course by 'tardy' you actually meant something different. I was hoping to glean a few ideas on how I could use IM to help me when I am late for work but all I got was how IM CAN make employees more or less efficient depending on how it is used... Which is really a no brainer.