Home-working

1. Home-working Anywhere to work

2. Myths • ‘The homeworking “revolution” never happened, so it never will’ • ‘It is divisive and unfair to office staff who aren’t allowed to do it’ • ‘It can mean lack of promotion’ • ‘It is too expensive’ • ’It could allow people to work for other companies without our knowledge’

3. Myths .... • ‘The team in the office will have to work harder’ • ‘Mainly helpful for women juggling work/childcare and disabled/ill employees’ • ‘Can make people feel isolated and depressed’ • ‘It is OK for managers but not for other staff’ • ‘You can’t combine work and family in one building’

4. Benefits CEO– strategically valuable if .... • depend on attracting / keeping people with scarce skills • avoid a move to larger premises • reduce office overheads • make services available outside normal office hours • improve your time to market • reduce work-related transport costs • handle workload peaks and troughs more easily.

5. CEO ..... Provides .... • easier re-location • take advantage of ready supply of labour in different locality • reduce time when field workers ‘touching base’ • easier management of a regionally-based service • basing workers nearer to clients or suppliers • attracting and retaining staff with disabilities

6. CEO gets ..... • retaining staff (spend time caring ) • meet fluctuations in demand for work • Get specialist skills needed only occasionally • more flexible workforce • more family-friendly working environment • reducing spending on transport

7. Benefits .... Managers • Workers more productive • more reliable • more loyal • likely to improve quality of work (fewer distractions) • take less time off (minor illnesses better endured at home) • stay longer with organisation (personal circumstances met).

8. Managers’ challenges • maintaining communication and feedback • maintaining corporate and team culture • ensuring that staff have opportunities for development • monitoring training • ensuring effective job review • new skills – managing by results - feedback

9. Making it work • Business case, not after-thought • Company culture encouraging networking, personal responsibility & trusty • Performance measures based on outputs • Flexibility audits on employee need for FW • Open to requests from everyone • Treat as voluntary • Be clear about rights & responsibilities • Be clear about extent of informal HW

10. Making it work ..... • Include unions & line managers in forming policy • Give support/ example from top • Include in FW options • Learn from best practice of others • Counter isolation, monitor demands of HW • Ensure HW-ers not miss chance of promotion • Reward HW-ers for self-management skills • Resource suitably (fuel, use of premises)

11. Driving forces • Technology • Employee expectations of FW • Government policies (national, EU)

12. Barriers • Consistent practices – H&S, risk, confidentiality • Challenge to manager’s authority • Infringe employee privacy • Measure by output & quality v hours worked • Not all job suitable • Not all want to HW • Tax & health insurance • Domestic commitments, living conditions • Extra costs (fuel, home insurance)

13. Barriers ..... • Concept of working time • Management skills – cf project management • Managers keeping HW-ers in touch • Supporting trust not guesswork by rewards

14. Practice in 25 organisations • 23 - should be voluntary • 12 - happens ad hoc/informally. • 4 - employees worked fully or mainly from home. • 20 - employees who worked partly from home. • 21 - no plans to evaluate their HW practices. • 13 - saw HW as a flexible working/ family-friendly option. • 13 - HW driven by a specific business need / part of normal working practices. • 4 - office space economy was a driver. • 5 - HW on a contractual basis for some employees

15. What is missing? • Evaluation of HW systems • Cost benefit analysis • Projected growth of HW • Retaining and recruiting quality staff • Environmental/traffic impacts • The impact of government policy

16. Pros for employer • attracting/retaining staff in a competitive jobs market • happier staff • improved productivity/ ability to concentrate • flexibility of location • lower office costs • boosting appeal of employer at recruitment • meeting young people’s higher expectations of employers • multi-skilling • staff self-managing • general flexibility

17. Pros ..... • work without unnecessary interruptions • no need to commute – which reduces stress • better customer service – more time spent with • clients than colleagues • more freedom – boosts morale and encourages creativity • balance between home and work life • helps retain the best employees • creates a culture of trust and personal responsibility • job satisfaction via increased effectiveness • quality work environment

18. Cons for employers • has to be on trust – no checking systems • potentially open to abuse • more difficult for workers to leave work behind it’s always there • tendency to work longer hours • isolation • status of employee • suitability of employee • less team spirit.

19. Cons .... • remote management – eg, IT problems • meeting delays • are systems secure? • fairness – not everyone can do it • process of building organisational understanding • high set-up costs • face-to-face contact diminished • offices hold access to company information • too much productivity – burn-out • reduced networking

20. Right for employees if ... • commute long distance/ difficult journey to work • live in area where little choice of work or job shortage • have young children/ want more flexible working hours • active in local community • want to be available earlier in the evening • caring responsibilities, difficult to work away • frequently work unsociable hours

21. Right if ..... • Work requires quiet concentration • little control over interruptions • regularly on call for out of hours responsibilities • travel a lot for business purposes • mobility or health problems/ conventional work places inaccessible • part of team located in different sites • work mainly involves contact outside company

22. Making the change (employee) Personal qualities • self motivation • ability to work without close supervision • good time-management skills • flexibility, resilience and self-reliance • good communication skills - including new skills of communicating across electronic networks • ability to cope with conflicting demands of home and work life.

23. Making the change ..... Circumstances • Access to paper documents • Bounce ideas of other colleagues • In touch with others • Social interaction • Employment status remains same? • Voluntary or compulsory? • Access to training/promotions like others • Transport changes? (shopping, no car)

24. Making the change ..... Home • Working space • Storage • Extra costs • Equipment, furniture, resources • Legal issues (insurance, tax) • View of home (refuge from work?) • Affect on family • Effects from family, friends