Remote Working: Views from the UK

Over the last few years, flexible working has emerged as a popular method of working. According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in the UK alone there are more than 2.2 million flexible workers and many organisations are starting to offer flexible working options as a method of enticing new joiners.

Yet although practice has been proven to deliver a number of benefits in the form of cost savings and productivity improvements, flexible working has unearthed a number of issues for HR Directors and the Executives that must manage these dispersed teams. While technology has a large role to play in tackling these issues and enabling flexible working, there are wider management issues to be considered before this style of working can start to deliver real business benefits.

Today, working from home or on the move is not seen as the revolutionary style of working it was once thought to be. The advent of new technologies and devices such as WiFi, broadband and PDAs have made it possible for a wide range of workers in various positions to work as effectively out of the office as they would in it.

For many, this method of working is best suited to their lifestyles and characters, finding they can work more productively away from an office-based environment. This style of work has the potential to deliver many business benefits, however this will only happen if handled carefully and supported by a carefully thought out management plan.

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