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Once they've started
investigating new ways of working, there are always 4 kinds of
things people would like to know:
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is it worth it?
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is it safe?
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is it legal? - and
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just how do you do it?
In an area not lacking in
guru-babble, it is always refreshing to come across new works
that accentuate the practical. The IRS Handbook of
Flexible Working Law and Practice
certainly does that.
Edited and mostly written by
Louis Wustemann, formerly the editor of Flexible Working
magazine, the handbook's 260 pages cover:
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annualised hours
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compressed hours
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home teleworking
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hotdesking
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jobsharing
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mobile teleworking
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staggered hours
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team offices
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term-time working
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leave options.
It is designed, it says, "to
help organisations plan and implement programmes that change the
locations and/or hours their employees work". Sections cover the
benefits - with many of the benefits quantified, teleworking,
flexible offices, flexible working time, intranets, and project
management. Throughout these there is consideration of the legal
aspects, health and safety, workplace policy issues, plus facts,
figures, case study references and detailed examples of guidance
used in implemented schemes. This is all supplemented by a
section of 11 detailed case studies of organisations that have
implemented one of more of the forms of flexible working.
All in all, this is a
treasure trove of useful information for everyone tasked with
implementing or researching flexible work. Particularly welcome
is the coverage of legal cases - and a separate index of legal
cases is very helpful.
Is our praise of this book
all too fulsome? In the managerial, office design and HR issues
the book is excellent. With regards to technology, it deals with
usage issues - ergonomics, security, insurance, etc - but
otherwise lacks the depth of detail to be found in the other
parts. On legal issues, it would be hard to find a book which
summarises the issues more clearly.
This is a quality book,
showing a unique depth of research, and strongly recommended
reading.
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Further Information
The IRS Handbook of Flexible Working Law and
Practice, edited by Louis Wustemann, is an IRS/LexisNexis
publication.
ISBN 0 40694 701 5
It is available from bookshops, or you can find
further details at
www.irsonline.co.uk |
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