Why flexible working?

Many organisations are recognising the need to re-think traditional working methods. A survey looking at stress levels in the workplace found that 41% of workers rated commuting as the most annoying aspect of their job[1].

Research conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation discovered a direct correlation between hours spent at work by fathers and the quality of family life. The research showed that where fathers were out of the house for more than 50 hours per week, family social activity dropped substantially[2].

More workers are finding it increasingly difficult to balance work commitments with family and caring responsibilities and, as a result, are seeking more flexibility in their working location and working hours. Currently in the UK, there are some 1.5m lone parents and a further 5m people with adult caring responsibilities.

Road travel is becoming more difficult, unreliable and expensive. In the UK, public transport in many cases is unable to provide commuters with a viable alternative. Concerns about the environment (pollution, climate change and the depletion of non-renewable resources) will result in increasing costs to businesses and pressure to change working practices. Government has admitted that attempts to curb the relentless increase in the number of vehicles on the roads have failed. Road tolls and city centre congestion charges are being introduced in the UK. Even motoring organisations recognise that current trends are unsustainable[3]. Reports estimate the cost of road traffic congestion to UK businesses to be £18bn/annum[4].

Although home working is not new, it has in many organisations been the preserve of senior managers. With proper working practices, the use of appropriate technologies and with the co-operation of managers, effective flexible working, including home working, is now potentially available to almost all information workers.

Even Call Centre operations can now be undertaken by a distributed workforce operating from home. C

[1] MORI survey on behalf of Mitel Networks
[2] ‘Parenting in the 1990s’ and ‘Fathers, work and family life’, both published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
[3] ‘Motoring Towards 2050: An Independent Inquiry’, the RAC Foundation
[4] Separate reports by the AA and the Confederation of British Industry