I have recently been stuck at home, like many of you, unable to get to work because of the snow, and suddenly, with no warning we are absent from our workplaces.
So what did you do? Were you able to work flexibly? To seamlessly carry on as if you were still in your office? Did you feel the sudden fragility of the way you work? Requiring uninterrupted access to computers, files, and conferring with colleagues, was this all brought into very sharp focus?
It seems to me that only a few months ago we were in a similar situation (potential not actual) with Swine flu and before that Bird flu was an imminent threat. And this brought to mind an article I had read about what the Americans have decided the effects of a pandemic flu outbreak would mean to their country.
They were concerned that the nation’s telecommunications systems would be vulnerable if there was an outbreak of a pandemic flu. The Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Greg Garcia, expected that 40% of the workforce would not be able to commute to work and that this would compromise the country’s telecommunications systems.
“And you don’t get to pick which 40 percent that could be,” he said during a speech at the New York Metro Infragard Alliance Security Summit. “Naturally, telecommuting (Flexible working) will be a key mechanism to keeping our businesses and government operational during a pandemic flu.”
And in Britain last year, The Federation of Small Businesses estimated that just one day of snow, where about 6.4 million people took the day off, the cost to our economy was a staggering £1.2 billion.
I suppose it is not just coping with outside events both large and small that impact our businesses, but also if the business systems are robust and efficient whilst keeping clients happy and content.
Is flexible working a perk? Something that is added to an employee’s package because it looks good, that the company is a considerate employer. That is just the aperitif, to get you ready for the main meal – the bit that saves your company when others flounder. The business can be more efficient and save overhead costs by using integrated approach to flexible working where people, technology and property are combined to bring the greatest FINANCIAL BENEFITS. It’s not just for the big boys like BT where 110,000 employees work flexibly and this is normal part of their work life. But it is for all. A different mix of the components that makes it work, maybe, but still a business that enables its staff to continue to work, receiving and making calls, meeting colleagues through conferencing and secure remote access to company computer system and not dependant on a particular location. But simultaneously, the office location should not be wasting monies through poor furniture design, layout and support office services, but rather with areas to provide new ways of working such as: collaborative working spaces, hot-desking and some desk sharing with furniture that works for you and not drain resources.
Is Flexible Working a necessity? My answer is YES – It can save money, it can be part of a business’ Continuity Strategy, but it is change and change requires thoughtfulness to those who will be affected, so that the outcome will be a positive collective response. What do you think?
