A recent article in a business magazine stated that companies that implemented remote work policies experience 30% higher employee productivity compared to those that do not. This conclusion was drawn from a survey of 250 companies across various industries.
Critics of the article argue that these findings are misleading. They suggest that the companies surveyed may have already been high performers before the remote work policies were adopted, skewing the results. Additionally, they point out that factors such as company culture and job roles might influence productivity levels.
Which of the following, if true, would most seriously weaken the argument made by the critics?