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Working from home is a dream that is becoming a reality for ever more people, but for many bosses it’s a potential management nightmare. Find out how with our guide to teleworking.
The numbers of people working from home are certainly on the increase. According to Labour Force statistics, for the past four years, the numbers of teleworkers has been increasing by around 15% a year to 1.8 million. Those numbers could increase further with new employment legislation in 2003 which will give parents of children under six years old the right to request flexible working arrangements from their employers.
Teleworking refers to those who work away from the traditional company office, either from home, in a special office or ‘telecottage’ or in a number of locations. Clare Amos, managing consultant at Flexecutive which specialises in helping companies introduce flexible working, says it is becoming more important in the battle for staff recruitment and retention. “There’s a war for talent and businesses have to be different if they want to attract the best people,” she says. “In the last year a lot of businesses are starting to consider it. Things like the train strike showed that people could work from home and still be productive.”
The growth in teleworking has several drivers. Advances in technology and telecoms have made resources available from home that would once only have been possible in the workplace. “What enables this is technology. People are able to work from home with the same capability as when they are in the office. There is no diminishment,” says Matt Hopkins, managing director of Portsmouth and London-based IT consultancy Dunstan Thomas. “It’s making it easier, more affordable and more viable. More of our staff are doing it and we are quite happy with it.”
Technology may underpin teleworking, but there is a growing desire for it from potential employees. A survey of graduates by PricewaterhouseCoopers found that the number one motivation to work with any company was not money or travel, but work/life balance.
Skills shortages in certain industries, such as IT or investment banking have tipped the balance of power towards employees and have forced companies to try and come up with new and more imaginative ways of working.
There is also a cost benefit argument for teleworking. Having people out of the office cuts the number of desks you need and ultimately the amount of office space you need for them. It is also argued that, far from being distracted by domestic chores and taking advantage of well-meaning bosses, staff can be more productive away from the hubbub and distraction of the office.
However, you should be aware of possible disadvantages. There may be a perception that it is an easy option and that staff are not as productive when away from the beady eye of their line manager. It could also reflect negatively on the company if it is not managed properly, for example if staff are not available when clients call.
For employees it can be an isolating experience, cutting them off from the good things that interaction in an office brings: cross fertilisation of ideas; quick exchange of information; brain storming; camaraderie and sense of purpose. For this reason you need to have opportunities to get a team together frequently.
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