Wouldn't it be good if people in large companies implementing
flexible work could get together to share ideas and experience?
Conferences and seminars can be great (especially the
Flexibility ones!), but wouldn't it be useful to have a network
to keep the momentum going? Well, it's arrived!
A new professional network for people charged with rolling
out flexible working was launched in September this year when the Smart Work
Network held its inaugural meeting at Reuters, Canary Wharf.
The Smart Work Network is an initiative led by
Flexibility.co.uk, in response to demand from people who have
attended seminars, and incorporates the Public Sector Home-based
and Remote Working Group. 40 representatives from large
companies and public sector employers attended the launch.
According to Andy Lake, Editor of Flexibility, the new
network is a response to the demand for practical help rather
than 'evangelising' about the benefits:
“There’s a strong feeling now that the world needs to
move beyond discussing the benefits of flexible work. What
is needed is support for delivering flexible work in
practice. The Smart Work Network will enable organisations
to move rapidly up the learning curve and help each other to
find the best ways to implement smarter working.”
The aim of the Network is to enable practitioners of flexible
work to share experience, knowledge, issues, problems and
solutions with each other, in a non-selling environment where
they can share information openly. The Network will meet
regularly through the year, and can share resources via the new
website www.smart-work.net,
which was also launched at the event.
Ivan Newman, Programme Manager in the Global Property
Projects Group at Reuters, is a strong supporter of the
initiative and has helped to develop the concept. Ivan said:
"With both our internal customers, our companies and
wider societal trends forcing the pace on being able to work
more flexibly, it's good news that a cross industry, cross
company group has formed. Individually we might have
difficult problems to solve, but together we have a deep
well of solutions."
Caroline Oldham, Home-based Working Coordinator at Ofsted,
also welcomed the launch:
“Ofsted set up the Home-based and Remote Working Group
for supporting flexible working in the public sector in
2002. This was to share good practice and support one
another in developing policies and implementing flexible
working. The group was very successful but a constant
difficulty for us was a lack of funding to develop ideas for
sharing information such as through a secure website. I am
therefore delighted to have been involved in bringing the
existing public sector group into this new and exciting
venture. I am sure that with our combined knowledge,
experience and enthusiasm we can make a real difference to
flexible working.
There are now over 100 members of the Network, from over 50
organisations.
|
