Dell bucks trend and encourages staff to work flexibly

Newly private vendor wants half of its staff to work remotely, bucking industry trend

Michael Dell has bucked the industry trend of forcing staff to be present at company offices after his firm stated it aims to get half of its global workforce working remotely by 2020.

Yahoo chief executive Marissa Meyer and HP boss Meg Whitman both ruled that their staff armies should be present at their bases to ensure they were working most productively, but Dell apparently disagrees.

In its Legacy for Good 2020 document outlining its corporate responsibility goals, Dell said it aims for half of its workforce to be working flexibly within the next seven years.

"Dell is a global technology leader, so our team members should be able to take advantage of the flexible work opportunities that our own products and services create," it said in the document.

As of January this year, one in five Dell staff work remotely.

Yahoo's Meyer said working in an office means staff can communicate better and hold impromptu meetings more easily, but Dell insisted that getting more staff to work flexibly is a better path to unlocking productivity.

"Flexible work practices can help team members minimise their transportation use while maximising their productivity by eliminating the commute," it said.

"Team members who opt to come into the office full time or even occasionally will find more dynamic combinations of open seating and private spaces, which both fuels creativity and maximises office space."