Out of office
During the Olympics, businesses learned that employees don't need to be in an office to do their jobs. In fact, many businesses recognised that they'd outgrown the traditional office environment. They saw that travelling to and from the office:
- Wastes time
- Costs money
- Damages the environment
- Takes its toll on employees
What's more, tying your business to an office can restrict growth and limit the pool of talent you can attract. So, with an extra 60 million passengers on the tube during London 2012 (that's 30% more than normal), what better time to test a remote working policy?
The catalyst for new ways of working
While the Games were on, 20% of businesses redeployed staff and introduced travel policies to avoid disruption by transport issues. 75% of businesses adopted remote working. And, according to Cisco research, nearly a third of businesses implemented remote working for the first time over the course of London 2012. For most businesses, this transformation involved:
- Realising the challenge/possible impact, and assessing the current IT strategy
- Ensuring network infrastructures could support remote working
- Establishing virtual private network access for multiple devices
- Introducing more collaboration technology, such as video and online conferencing.
Company directors led the way with remote-working techniques. The majority used tablet devices for two to three hours per day, so they could keep in touch while on the move. In addition, one in five of them spent four to five hours in online conferences rather than restricting themselves to face-to-face meetings.
The legacy of remote working…
…for employees
Cisco research shows that the majority of employees spend at least six hours a day working on a PC, with nearly half of managers spending eight to nine hours a day working on a PC.Add the daily commute on top of this and you're looking at an exhausted workforce.
However, organisations that offered remote working saw employees revitalised. Staff were not ground down by the daily commute because they could work anywhere, anytime. The result for employees:
- Increased job satisfaction
- A better work/life balance
…for businesses
Businesses that took the opportunity to transform the way they work by remote working became more agile. And, by continuing with remote working, they will:
- Become more productive
- Increase efficiency
- Cut cost
- Reduce their carbon footprint
- Gain access to a larger pool of talent
With a 30% passenger increase on the tube did your staff cope with the transport disruptions?
Out of office
During the Olympics, businesses learned that employees don't need to be in an office to do their jobs. In fact, many businesses recognised that they'd outgrown the traditional office environment. They saw that travelling to and from the office:
- Wastes time
- Costs money
- Damages the environment
- Takes its toll on employees
What's more, tying your business to an office can restrict growth and limit the pool of talent you can attract. So, with an extra 60 million passengers on the tube during London 2012 (that's 30% more than normal), what better time to test a remote working policy?
The catalyst for new ways of working
While the Games were on, 20% of businesses redeployed staff and introduced travel policies to avoid disruption by transport issues. 75% of businesses adopted remote working. And, according to Cisco research, nearly a third of businesses implemented remote working for the first time over the course of London 2012. For most businesses, this transformation involved:
- Realising the challenge/possible impact, and assessing the current IT strategy
- Ensuring network infrastructures could support remote working
- Establishing virtual private network access for multiple devices
- Introducing more collaboration technology, such as video and online conferencing.
Company directors led the way with remote-working techniques. The majority used tablet devices for two to three hours per day, so they could keep in touch while on the move. In addition, one in five of them spent four to five hours in online conferences rather than restricting themselves to face-to-face meetings.
The legacy of remote working…
…for employees
Cisco research shows that the majority of employees spend at least six hours a day working on a PC, with nearly half of managers spending eight to nine hours a day working on a PC.Add the daily commute on top of this and you're looking at an exhausted workforce.
However, organisations that offered remote working saw employees revitalised. Staff were not ground down by the daily commute because they could work anywhere, anytime. The result for employees:
- Increased job satisfaction
- A better work/life balance
…for businesses
Businesses that took the opportunity to transform the way they work by remote working became more agile. And, by continuing with remote working, they will:
- Become more productive
- Increase efficiency
- Cut cost
- Reduce their carbon footprint
- Gain access to a larger pool of talent
Download: How business is changing
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