Home working 'set for exponential growth'
Sep 26 2008
The number of employees working from home in the UK is set to increase significantly in the near future as a result of new legislation making the option available to more people.
More than 4.5 million people are set to benefit from the change in the law, which allows those with children under 16 years of age to engage in flexible working.
However a survey by BT shows 88 per cent of managers have never received training on how to cope with staff out of the office or the IT requirements they need.
In addition, 22 per cent of remote employees feel they lack support to allow them to work from home effectively.
Bill Murphy, BT business's managing director, claims the apparatus is available to allow people to carry out their tasks outside of the office, but other factors could hamper its progression.
'Information and communications technology has provided the means for millions of people to work remotely yet many businesses are hampered by outdated management techniques,' he says.
Meanwhile, research commissioned by Aastra, the communications networking development firm, found people who commute to work in major cities could save up to 55 hours per year if they were given the means to do their jobs from home.
More than 4.5 million people are set to benefit from the change in the law, which allows those with children under 16 years of age to engage in flexible working.
However a survey by BT shows 88 per cent of managers have never received training on how to cope with staff out of the office or the IT requirements they need.
In addition, 22 per cent of remote employees feel they lack support to allow them to work from home effectively.
Bill Murphy, BT business's managing director, claims the apparatus is available to allow people to carry out their tasks outside of the office, but other factors could hamper its progression.
'Information and communications technology has provided the means for millions of people to work remotely yet many businesses are hampered by outdated management techniques,' he says.
Meanwhile, research commissioned by Aastra, the communications networking development firm, found people who commute to work in major cities could save up to 55 hours per year if they were given the means to do their jobs from home.
Comment by Louise Esplin
Tuesday 30th September 2008Interchange Group studied the psychological effects of home working and found that with sufficient preparation, training and trialling, an increase in flexibility can have a positive impact on staff morale and raise overall productivity. For further information on remote working go to www.i-working.org
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