Moving Smart Working from Theory to Practice

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Moving Smart Working from Theory to Practice
Andy LakeEditor, Flexibility
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About Flexibility.co.uk

• Flexibility the online journal of flexible work
• Founded 1993
• Shares knowledge on flexible work
• Through publishing, conferences, in-house
  seminars, policy advice
• 2007 Smart Work Network

www.flexibility.co.uk
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Ad hoc flexibility

• Public sector staff surveys 30-40 sometimes
  working at home in office hours
• Up to 80 working at home after hours
• Do you use any of these personal tools or
  facilities for your work (during the working day
  or evenings/weekends)?

• What are the issues and risks?
• Should it be allowed?

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Reasons for ad hoc flexibility

• Employment Act 2002 / Work Families 2006
  Right to Request
• Flexible work by exception
• Managers do it but reluctant to let their staff
  do it
• Response to work pressure
• Coping with caring and illness
• Waiting for the gasman
• Organisation not ready for systematic approach

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Assess your readiness the Flexigrid
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Your flex-readiness analysed

• A bit of insight, a bit of fun

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What are your goals?

• Business benefits
• Being closer to customers/clients
• Greater productivity
• Reducing costs property, business travel, staff
  absence and staff turnover
• Maximising benefit from ICT investment

• Improved work-life balance
• More diverse workforce
• Reducing commute travel

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Example property optimisation
Administration and support
Professional and technical
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Evidence What are people really doing?
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Consultation Do employees want flexibility?

• Would you value greater flexibility in when you
  work?

• Would you value greater flexibility in where you
  work?

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What kind of flexibility?
I would like to work

• Genuine consultation raises awareness, motivates,
  achieves buy-in and provides the foundation for
  success

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Examples of achievements

• Flexible working at BT
• Average reduction for flexible workers 93 miles
  per week for car users, 143 miles for rail users
• Reducing London desk spaces from 10,000 to 3,000
• Audio/video conferencing is eliminating 338,607
  face-to-face meetings a year
• AA virtual call centre
• Productivity home-based workers answering 35
  more calls
• Transport impacts 3680 miles per year saved per
  employee
• Property reduction closing call centres

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More achievements

• Fife Council Social Services
• Reduced short-term absence - between 25 and 70
  down
• Reduced recruitment costs - 75 down
• Reduced turnover - 10 down
• Tower Hamlets Council
• Increase of 24 productivity and a noticeable
  reduction in absenteeism
• Overall 27 work station reduction target 25.
  This has been supported by ICT enabling flexible
  and mobile working
• 2000 additional staff accommodated without the
  need of additional car parking.
• Significant savings on paper and cost

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Case studies on commute impacts

• BT 93 miles reduction per week for car users,
  143 miles per week for rail users
• Teleworkers at the Dutch Ministry of Transport
  made 17 per cent fewer trips and cut peak-hour
  car travel by 26 per cent.
• California Neighborhood Telecenters Project 17
  reduction in vehicle miles per week
• A study in Munich showed telecommuters cut their
  total trips by 19, their work trips by 43

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Summary of case study data on travel impacts

• Consistent evidence of mileage reduction, even
  allowing for compensatory trips
• Average range 20-50 miles per person per
  teleworking occasion
• Range 1300-3500 miles per teleworker per year
• Calculations typically based on part-time
  teleworking (average 1.5 days per week)
• Some experts expect other trips or time-shift to
  chip away at least 50 of saving ( - but little
  evidence)

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Latest research
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Business travel impacts

• BT Swedish survey 64 of videoconferencing
  users experienced substitution of own business
  travel (45) or travel for someone else (19)
• Tetra Pak 10 reduction of travel costs
• BT teleconferencing replaces 50 million road
  miles per year. This is 11.1 of business
  mileage and a saving to the company of 6m

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Quantifying the targets costs

• Property disposal
• Desks people ratio
• Productivity
• Facilities costs reduction
• Absence
• Recruitment/retention
• Travel reduction
• Work-life balance measures

• Refurbishment or new build
• Facilities costs
• Technology
• Culture change
• Continuing support

? Clear projections of ROI
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What technologies? Basic principles

• Seamless working everywhere is the office!
• Stretch the desktop
• Stretch the corporate telephony system
• VoIP, smart-numbering, wireless, handheld devices
  maximise the opportunities to be untethered
• Choice of technology flows from review of
  processes and workstyles
• Half-measures usually fail unless a progression
  path is clear

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Remote working impacts on the office

• What kind of spaces do remote workers need?
• Meeting rooms, quiet spaces, informal areas
• Making systems and storage flexible
• Becoming paper-free?

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New flexible spaces
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Example of set-up costs

• 156 staff served by office previously serving 95
• Space efficiency plus desk-sharing

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Problems and pitfalls

• Isolation
• 24/7 working
• Training and career progression
• Support
• Teamwork will suffer
• Cant work at home!
• Health and Safety
• Weight gain?!

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Policy

• HR checklist
• Contracts
• Homeworking agreements
• Voluntary?
• Termination agreements
• Use of equipment
• Reporting
• Working when travelling
• Compensation for expenses?
• Insurance

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Ingredients of a successful implementation

• Evidence based
• Clear goals focused on business benefits
• Integrated project
• HR / Property / Facilities / IT
• Interdisciplinary steering group
• Integrate remote working with workplace changes
• Staff Managers consulted and motivated
• Challenge the culture and manage the change
• Momentum is crucial - Dont hang about!

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Now over to you.
Andy LakeFlexibility andy.lake_at_flexibility.co.uk
www.flexibility.co.uk
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The home office

• Specification and who buys
• Separate space?
• What furniture?
• PC or laptop or something else?
• Peripherals and accessories
• Heating, lighting, ventilation

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Health Safety

• HS No special homeworking legislation
• VDU regulations
• Heating, lighting, ventilation
• Ergonomic workplace
• Electrics
• Cabling
• Working Time
• Lifting and carrying
• Security
• 3rd party safety
• Risk assessments