Given the choice, where would you rather work? From the comfort of your own home? In the buzz of the office? Wherever you can, so that you make the most of your time? The reality is that flexible working is becoming a must-offer.
Legally, employers are required to make provision for employees to work flexibly in certain instances, plus it can also prove to be a better way to do business by helping to create a more productive workforce. And there’s a relative newcomer to the list of advantages of flexible working. Many of the technologies that let businesses offer flexible working conditions have matured to an extent that they now provide a green alternative to the daily commute and travel between sites and clients.
The business case for going green
The Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change, published in October 2006, reports that climate change represents the greatest and widest-ranging potential for market failure ever seen. The findings also deliver a warning to businesses about the impact of some of their environmentally unfriendly working practices, which produce high levels of carbon emissions.
One way to reduce carbon emissions – and costs – is to introduce a more flexible way of working by adopting IT and communications solutions that can help staff to work more easily from home or while on the move. Many of BT’s technologies and service provisions are designed to support the capability to work anywhere. For instance, audio, web and video conferencing systems help to limit the need for employee travel and are one way to cut costs.
Download BT's guide to green business here.
Lower costs and raise productivity
As well as environmental damage, climate change also poses an economic threat. Failure to address the issue will result in losing at least five per cent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) annually. ‘If a wider range of risks and impacts is taken into account, the estimates of damage could rise to 20 per cent of GDP or more,’ says the report. It adds, ‘The investment that takes place in the next 10 to 20 years will have a profound effect on the climate in the second half of this century and in the next.’
Businesses need to respond by embracing greener ways of working, and not just to minimise their effect on the environment or cut costs. Those that engage in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities often benefit from a more efficient and motivated workforce and enhanced reputations, which can give them a competitive advantage.
James Goodman, who is head of futures at Forum for the Future, a charity that helps organisations develop sustainable business practices, agrees. ‘Teleworking brings productivity benefits as well as cost savings. When people work from home they tend to be more productive, and work longer hours because they are saving the hour or so commute. Employees feel like their quality of life has improved as well.’
Flexible working is also gaining ground in employment law. Since April 2003, employees with a child under six, or a disabled child under 18, have had the right to request to work flexible hours. From April 2007, this right will be extended to those who care for dependent adults who they live with.
A flexible working policy is also becoming a key factor in staff recruitment and retention. The DTI says that 70 per cent of graduates rate an employer more highly if they offer one. And it may help to attract people who have a particular skill, who may not be able to work full-time in an office but can, or prefer to, work from home.
Download BT's guide to flexible working here.
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