Government takes flexible friendly route
With technology playing a key role when it comes to flexible and remote working, resellers could take advantage of a recently launched initiative that promotes the idea of smarter working practices. Laura Hailstone reports
The term ‘flexible working’ tends to conjure up images of mums who want to be able to work variable hours to fit in with their children’s schooling. However, a government initiative that was launched in May is encouraging the widespread adoption of ‘smarter’ working practices. These include flexible working, but also remote working, mobile working and working from home.
Called Work Wise UK, the campaign has been set up by the IT Forum Foundation, a non-profit organisation that helps UK businesses trade electronically. Initially launched as a three-year programme, Work Wise – which has received widespread government support – aims to provide a central information service for the UK workforce to promote the wider use of smarter working.
According to Phil Flaxton, chief executive of the IT Forum Foundation, technology has an important role to play in facilitating better working practices.
“There are almost 29 million people in the UK who are in employment of one form or another, and we estimate that only 3.2 million of these work flexibly,” he said. “The rapid development of mobile technology over the past 18 months, coupled with the widespread roll-out of broadband, has opened up the opportunity for more people to work remotely.
“By the end of this decade we would like to ensure that more than half of the 29 million people in employment [in the UK] are given the opportunity to work smarter.”
Flaxton added that the aim of the Work Wise campaign is to raise general awareness of smarter working practices.
He said: “Resellers can help by promoting the concept of smarter working to their customers and pointing out the benefits. For example, companies can save costs by reducing the amount of office space they require if they enable their staff to work remotely or from home.”
VAR Servo recently released a white paper on flexible working. It stated that ‘true’ flexible working is about more than just giving people a broadband connection at home. Servo believes it is more about deploying the right combination of network infrastructure, tools and support for employees to be effective wherever they are working.
Richard Heaviside, head of business development & communications at Servo, told CRN: “Two years ago, before broadband was at the level it is now, flexible working wasn’t really an option. Home workers trying to do things over a dial-up would find it time consuming and frustrating. Broadband has certainly been a key driver in the growth of flexible working.”
Servo designs and co-ordinates flexible working solutions for SMEs, large corporates and public-sector organisations.
“The onus is on resellers like us to advise companies on the best way to offer flexible working,” Heaviside said. “A flexible working solution varies for every client, but it’s broadly based around a broadband solution with additional elements such as security and storage. We are a Microsoft partner, an Indirect Partner of BT’s and a Citrix gold access partner. We can offer a combination of flexible solutions from these vendors.”
However, even if the technology is available to enable smarter working practices, will companies actually shift towards offering employees a more flexible working environment?
Heaviside believes that graduates will help push flexible working.
“According to a recent Department of Trade and Industry report, flexible working is now one of the most important factors that determines young people’s choice of employer,” he said. “About 70 per cent of today’s graduate job seekers are looking for a position that offers them the chance to work flexibly.
“Equipping new graduates with the right technology and implementing flexible working strategies is now a necessity if companies in the UK are to attract the best staff,” Heaviside added. “Flexible working is no longer a perk or privilege: for most young people it’s a necessity.”
Colin Rhodes, managing director of IT recruitment company Capitis, said: “It’s a generation thing. The 40-plus age group are swayed more by traditional benefits such as pensions when looking for a new job, while the younger generation want a more flexible working environment.”
Rhodes added that the technology is now in place, which makes it easier to manage and control a remote workforce, whereas previously it was a concern for employers.
“I’ve worked in recruitment for 10 years, and in the past two years there has been an increase in the number of people that are requesting a job with more of a flexible working environment,” he said.
“Companies will get a happier individual working for them if they give them the opportunity to work from home, because they will feel trusted and valued. At Capitis we have mobilised our salesforce.”
Kate Maher, a former graduate and now international product manager at Universal Music International, said: “When [Research In Motion’s] BlackBerry devices were introduced here, only the vice-presidents got them. But over the past year they’ve been rolled out to other departments, although it’s still only staff at certain levels that are offered BlackBerrys.”
Asked if this type of technology would sway her when looking for a new job, Maher said: “It would because it gives you a lot of flexibility. For example, if the gas man is coming, instead of taking a day off work to wait in at home for him I can just work from home via my BlackBerry.”
Pierre Lams, founder of VAR Handheld PCs, said: “Half of our team are graduates, and most of them came knocking on our door [not only] because they were interested in the technology we sold, but also because we allow our staff to work remotely. All of our staff have wireless laptops and PDAs.”
Heaviside said: “By having a flexible working policy, not only can businesses incentivise existing employees, but they will also attract a diverse range of staff such as mothers, older people returning to work, or perhaps people who don ’t want to commute every day.”
Although under the Employment Act 2002 there is legislation surrounding flexible working, it is restricted to just two categories of people.
“Legislation was updated in 2003 that enables parents with children under six and parents of disabled children aged under 18 to have the right to apply to work flexibly,” Flaxton said. “It is something that Work Wise plans to lobby the government about, because we would like to see the legislation extended so that everyone has the right to apply to work flexibly.”
Contacts:
Capitis (020) 7299 1200
Servo (01629) 832 111
WorkWise UK (01784) 473 005seuk.org