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The Trading Standards department of
Hertfordshire County Council has made major
strides in flexible working, to the great benefit
of both the individuals and the Council.
Previously bursting at the seams in two
buildings, which were also difficult to cable for
IT, they now occupy a single building of almost
the same size, 6000 sq ft. But what a
transformation. It is a roomy, well laid out
office with two meeting rooms, a meeting table, a
soft seat meeting area, several libraries and a
kitchen.
Part of the secret in achieving this
transformation in the same space is that there
are only 42 desks for the 65+ staff. Not only
that, but the flexibility of the arrangements
allowed the accommodation of additional staff
from Libraries and Records (arising from a change
in responsibilities) with little disruption and
no new desks. The six office-based staff, such as
call centre and support staff, still have their
own desks. The Trading Standards Officers share
team areas of four desks, the teams being up to
ten strong. When more than four are in, other
under-used team areas or desks where office-based
staff are out are used.
Saving journeys
This scheme has been running for two years now
and has become the norm, with most of the initial
issues long forgotten. One of the original
motivations for the scheme was the Council’s
TravelWise scheme. In-work travel time has
reduced by a healthy 10%, with the in-work miles
(reimbursed) reduced by 9,000, representing
between 5-8% reduction. Personal miles have also
reduced, with staff who used to be based on the
office on the other side of the County reporting
personal savings despite their increased distance
from the office.
Staff who live near the new office tend to be
in more (2-3 days a week) than those who are
distant (1 day a week). Where previously staff
used to start and finish in the office, all
peripatetic staff tend to group appointments and
go from and return direct to home. It took time
for everyone to realise that, providing staff are
accessible, they don’t need to be present.
Staff also found that their biggest fear of being
alone is not really a problem now they have
experience of working this way.
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Mutual benefit |
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There were struggles in the first instance to
realise that the benefits of the scheme were
mutual. Initially many saw it as a Council
attempt to save money and increase productivity
without giving them anything. Indeed, one member
of the staff simply couldn’t accept it, and
left to join a council that still works
traditionally, despite a greatly increased
commute. Everyone else realises the benefits they
gain personally, such as reduced time and money
on commuting and increased flexibility with
personal time.
Managers had problems with the flexibility,
but once they were allowed to use it and saw they
could benefit in the same way, it made a heck of
a difference. Backup and administration are more
effective, partly because of the move to a single
office. Staff tend to do more for themselves, but
bring things in for admin in batches. This makes
the admin workload much more variable. Using the
concept of a ‘typist of the week’, this
has eased, and the admin staff can also work at
home if they wish. Typically the typist of the
week will spend a day at home with a portable PC
if the typing load is sufficient.
Good service
Staff certainly do less unnecessary admin in
the office and are more focussed on valuable face
to face time. There are now fewer staff doing the
same number of visits.
Business ‘customers’ don’t
notice a difference, apart from calls being
returned earlier, partly because messages and
post are better organised for access by support
staff rather than waiting for people to come in
to the office.
Consumer ‘customers’ find it no
different. They still call local numbers, which
are routed to the call centre. Occasionally they
say, "I’m only just round the corner,
so I’ll pop in and show you" to which
the call centre replies "Well, actually
you’re talking to someone in St
Albans!".
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More work is done at home. Initially this was
a problem for some staff whose home circumstances
made this difficult. The advent of the Council Oases
scheme has helped to overcome this problem,
allowing them to drop in to a local centre having
access to both Council networks (telephone and
IT) to work. The Oases are also used for
convenience when colleagues want to meet.
There was concern at the start of the scheme
that less experienced staff would not be able to
check things informally with colleagues. This is
also becoming a non-issue. Managers are available
on mobile phones. The administration is slick.
Team meetings are held once a month. Staff use
mobiles for contactability, but tend to use
charge cards where possible for making calls. A
special connection between the mobile
operator’s network and the council IT
network means low tariffs for connecting to the
IT network via mobiles, which gives access both
to electronic mail and the trading standards
databases. Portable faxes are available where
people need them for working at home.
Benefits
The main messages from this scheme are that
the benefits on both sides are real, and that
although initially there are always going to be
teething problems, these will be overcome with
experience. This scheme is cost neutral, with
improvements in customer service, productivity,
personal life and administration, and with a
reduction in both personal and in-work travel.
Hertfordshire County Council can be contacted
via their web site at www.hertscc.gov.uk
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