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On the Move: Newham's Experience with Mobile Working

This article provides an honest recollection of Newham's experience with mobile working, featuring insights from Russell Moffatt, Team Manager/EHP - a housing specialist. It highlights the benefits and challenges, the impact on officers' work-life balance, and the need for system and process changes.

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On the Move: Newham's Experience with Mobile Working

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  1. On the move Newham’s experience Russell Moffatt LB Newham

  2. Introduction Introduction • Russell Moffatt, Team Manger/EHP – housing specialist • Many local authorities do mobile working better • Honest recollection of our mobile working experience • Manger perspective • Good, bad and the ugly

  3. Where we started • Private sector working this way for at least 10 years – for good reasons • Environmental health work requires mobility • Move fully into the digital age • Selected “early adopters” to pilot mobile working in Jan 2008 • The pilot helped ease the process • Soon after I personally went mobile – inside view

  4. The business case - costs • £1500 a laptop + extra for phone etc • Change management cost • Managers time • Officer time • ICT time • Frustration! • Systems/processes required complete review and remodelling

  5. The business case - benefit • Reduced officer space – desk and storage • Enhanced communication • Flexibility • Reduced travel time • Reduce carbon • Improved efficiency – less double inputting • Improved performance • Reduce paper use • New office dynamic – more innovation – challenge tradition • Migrate to a single main office

  6. The hardware

  7. The hardware

  8. The software • ICT support • TEAM CULTURE!!!!! • Feelings • Emotional at time • Systems & process integration • databases • case handover • notice serving etc • Complex

  9. Performance Management Flexible working Mobile working SU Officers ICT IDOX IT Systems Location Paperless office

  10. After 1 year • Everyone uses equipment differently • Pilot – highlighted ICT support problems • Lots of figuring out the new norms – working from home? • Mobile working means significant changes to processes, systems etc??? • Some technical issues • Started full roll out 3>27

  11. After 2 years • Sickness reduced • Most adapted well, some resisted • Improved performance – mostly due to extra flexibility • Managers need to change approach – outputs > outcomes • Officers achieved better work life balance • Reluctance to use kit in the field • Computer issues still present • Still working on systems and processes integration

  12. After 3 years • Most officers now dependent on kit • New systems and procedures starting to work • Mobile working normalised • Most officers work from home 50% of week • Failed to get officers to use kit in the field • One officer handed kit back • Most computer software issues dealt with…. • Performance still improving • Sickness remains very low

  13. New management approach • Need to adjust as much as field officers • Moved to outcome focused targets • Based on trust • Auditing of work became much more important • Laptops used by most managers

  14. Conclusions • It was worth it – but tough • Saved some money and improved performance • Officers have a better work/life balance • System changes/process changes reguired • We failed to get officers using kit regularly in the field • It didn’t work for everyone

  15. The future • More to be done • Officers are becoming more IT literate • Customers expect access via – Skype, facebook etc • Kit in field next step for us • Getting it fit with 24 hr economy, information analysis • Mobile technology is the future – important keep up with fast changing world

  16. Questions?

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