Fishburn Hedges

08.02.2012

A bold move from 02 today. They have asked all employees at their Slough HQ to work from home. The aim is to explore potential performance benefits, assess cost savings and test their plans and technology ahead of the Olympics this Summer. Click here for the company’s blog post.

I have to say I am a big fan of this initiative (or “experiment” as 02 call it). The company has sufficient trust in its employees, and its management systems, to take location out of the equation completely. This is far more than simply establishing ‘virtual teams’. They must be confident that employees will continue to provide the performance and productivity expected of them and ensure seamless delivery of ‘business as usual’.

Of course, this approach will suit some organisations more than others. Imagine the (lack of) impact in a hierarchical organisation and/or ‘command and control’ culture. The tools and technologies might be available - making the idea feasible technically - but there would be a major cultural barrier. The lack of trust, flexibility and autonomy for employees would doom the idea to failure.

And yet changes in the labour market are making flexible working more mainstream than ever before. We have all been showered by surveys suggesting that younger workers prize flexibility above all else. At the other end of the scale, even in the last week there has been coverage in mainstream media of experienced executives seeking more flexible working arrangements in preference to more traditional posts. Employee expectations are changing. This creates risks for employers as they seek to attract talent.  

So 02 has taken a bold step – albeit only for one day - but it’s an eminently sensible one for lots of reasons. They are testing the effectiveness of their flexible working technology. They are examining savings on electricity usage, CO2 emissions and travel time. And they are positioning themselves as a possible destination employer for an increasingly demanding workforce.

But any employers considering a similar, longer-term move can only succeed if they have the right culture in place. They must have a clear sense of common purpose across the organisation. They must have enlightened managers who can inspire, challenge and support their home-based employees. And they must share and celebrate the performance and productivity of their people, no matter where they are working.

In short, they must have a strong and sustained culture of engagement across their business to turn flexible working principles into effective business practice. Without this, the idea will only ever be counter-productive for the company.

Posted by Paul Sweetman