Flexible working: Words from the wise
Some sound bites from those who’ve been there, done that and got the T-Shirt when it comes to flexible working.
Flexible and remote working can deliver massive benefits to both individuals and businesses alike.
To mark National Work From Home Day, here are some words from the wise who are already embracing and enjoying the benefits of smarter working practices.
"To really get the sort of people we want to work here and then get the best out of them you must run a very individualised culture in terms of understanding people and their hopes, aspirations and dreams and also how they best work."
Microsoft
"I think initially certainly for an organisation, it is almost like an act of faith, to actually embark on a flexible working programme. But our experience has been that it more than pays off, very rapidly."
BT
Flexible working is a business led rather than an HR led project and that means having to "readdress all the health and safety, communication, company culture issues as part of that implementation."
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Thames Water
"When people come into the building they say it's got a real buzz. Flexible working creates energy and transparency. The new ways of working that we have put in place with the help of BT really do change the organisation's culture dramatically, in a way that I don't think you can bring about through any other method."
Bridget Taylor, director of strategy, Suffolk County Council's Customer Service Direct
"e-working is an important area of Government policy that we are striving to achieve - staff are fully contactable through Workstyle services and they can respond more quickly to events and access the information they need to make effective decisions. I have been working flexibly for just four months and it has already reduced my costs, increased my productivity and allowed me to scope a much improved work-life balance."
Lt Cdr Nick Chamberlain, DFTS Through-life manager, Internet Gateway Service, MoD
"If we needed to be based in an office and stuck behind a desk, I would not have been able to achieve the growth we have enjoyed since the company started It is unfortunate that more businesses do not understand or adopt the benefits of remote working more fully as in many cases I strongly believe that they would be far more able to deliver greater output and efficiency. Again I believe in many cases that where office working is concerned, typical days and thought processes are interrupted far too often and where jobs have deadlines or need creative thinking, the benefit of remote working to deliver is totally undervalued in the main."
Adrian Bereziuk, managing director and senior consultant, Smart Partnerships
Case study sound bites are courtesy of Work Wise UK.
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Gender diversity improvements could be the key to tackling the UK's AI skills shortageNews Encouraging more women to pursue tech careers could plug huge gaps in the AI workforce
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Researchers claim Salt Typhoon masterminds learned their trade at Cisco Network AcademyNews The Salt Typhoon hacker group has targeted telecoms operators and US National Guard networks in recent years
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Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy called for a 70 hour week last year — now he says that’s not enoughNews Murthy thinks longer hours akin to China’s '996' approach are the key to success
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Microsoft could be preparing for a crackdown on remote workNews The tech giant is the latest to implement stricter policies around hybrid working without requiring a full five days in the office
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IT professionals aren’t budging on flexible work demands – and more than half say they’ll quit if employers don’t meet expectationsNews Analysis from Randstad shows 40% of UK-based IT pros have quit over a lack of flexible work options, while 31% of workers globally have done the same.
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'The tide seems to be turning towards office attendance': 64% of hybrid business leaders want staff back in the office – but many worry that enforcing RTO mandates will drive employees awayAnalysis Many UK business leaders want their staff back in the office more frequently, but they’re scared to implement return to office (RTO) mandates in fear of worker revolts.
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Employees are dead set on flexible working arrangements – three quarters would turn down a role that didn't offer hybrid options as work-life balance becomes more important than payNews New research shows workers are increasingly demanding flexible working arrangements from employers.
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Nearly half of tech workers are seeking new roles – declining employee benefits and reduced flexible working options have staff looking elsewhereNews While salaries are rising for tech workers, other benefits are in decline, leading to a fall in job satisfaction
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