For
today's managers Flexible Work poses three key areas of challenge:
-
understanding the new ways of
working, the benefits they can produce and potential
pitfalls
-
implementing an appropriate
solution to deliver the maximum benefits
-
managing new ways of
working, with online processes and a flexible workforce
The following links should
provide you with resources to help managers get to grips with
these challenges.
Flexible
conferencing - coming soon to a desktop near you
OK, so there have been some "false dawns". But the technology
is here to make high quality integrated video, audio and web
conferencing a reality from every desktop. This could make a
real difference to the way you organise work.
Legal
balancing act for work-life balance
With the new "right to request flexible work", it's not only
time for balance, but maybe a time to walk the legal tightrope
too. What exactly are an individual's rights? What are an
employer's responsibilities? What other legislation also
applies? Time to call for professional advice.
Telework at Nortel Networks
We present a case study - both corporate and personal - of
teleworking at a company that has some 12, 000 teleworkers.
So if you're thinking of
introducing remote working, take a look at this.
Flexible
workers - and flexible rostering
How to know who's doing what where and when - and how to align
the scheduling with business needs and work-life balance.
April
2003 flexible work/family-friendly legislation
Check out this group of article in our main Flexible Work
section, about the parental right to request flexible work and
other aspects of the laws coming into effect in April 2003. We
include: guidance for employers; a checklist of the provisions;
comment on the pros and cons of the legislation, giving two
cheers for the government.
Know your staff:
Consult them online
We profile an online staff consultation tool aimed at creating a
consensus for innovation and change in working practices.
Training for e-work:
a flexible approach
You're keen to press ahead with e-work - but are people ready
for it? What else do they need to know? How is your organisation
going to approach developing the relevant new skills in your
workforce? We map out an approach.
How father-friendly is your company?
New men, old workplaces. That's more or less the conclusion of a
new study from the Work Foundation. Work-life balance is a man
issue too, and it's time your workplace caught up...
Sunset strategies -
new approaches to flexible retirement
New research by the UK Department of Work and Pensions into flexible retirement
highlights the benefits and barriers, and includes 20 case
studies of flexible retirement policies from large employers.
Low budget
virtual meetings
Web conferencing provides a cheap and effective way of having
meetings online. The quality of voice and pictures may fall below
videoconferencing, but for many kinds of meeting and information
exchange it can be an ideal solution.
Age Positive
The workforce is changing. Work patterns are changing. But are
attitudes changing, or we stuck with old stereotypes of who makes
a good person to employ? We profile a new government backed
campaign which is combating ageism, and which supports flexible
work as a means to encourage age diversity in the workplace.
Videoconferencing -
close encounters of the distant kind
Guest writer Lisa Honan, Managing Director of EyeNetwrok, looks at
how to use videoconferencing to beat the travel blues. Cost,
efficiency and quality issues combine to make videoconferencing
the right option for many face-to-face encounters.
Flexible work - The view form the HR department
What flexible working policies have organisations put in place?
And what do HR directors feel are the priorities for future
development? A new survey from Nextra looks at these issues and
more. Amongst the findings is that 23% of senior managers don’t
trust their staff to flexi-work – does this reflect your
organisation?
Working in the E-Team
To follow up our popular article (see below) on how to be an
"e-manager", we explore the ins and outs of being in the "e-team"
- how to cope with the changes to work style, work space and work
culture.
Awareness-raising for
flexible work
We look at the issues involved in raising awareness about flexible
work - the necessary first step before setting off on flexible
work programmes. In this article we outline how to take people
gently and positively up the learning curve of new ways of
working, outlining some of the hurdles and the pitfalls on the way
and how to overcome them
Online resources for
work-life balance
We have a select list of websites that have the most to offer in
terms of online, freely available, resources
Flexible
working - law and practice
Once they've started investigating new ways of working, there are
always 4 kinds of things people would like to know: is it worth
it? is it safe? is it legal? - and just how do you do it? We
review a new book that can help to answer these questions.
Strongly recommended reading. How
to be an effective e-manager
You've got e-work, e-business and e-commerce in place. Now you've got to
manage it! This is how to be an e-ffective manager in the brave new
e-world.
Online
tool to assess your space needs
Most offices are expensively underused. We highlight an online tool which
can help you assess your actual space needs, based on you employees work
patterns
Health
& Safety for teleworking
An outline of the issues every manager should be aware of when setting up
and managing telework.
 Guide to
Flexible Working in the Information Age
Flexibility has written a book in association with Toshiba. It
takes you through from first steps to implementation, with special
chapters for HR, IT and facilities managers.
Teleworking
in the Sun
Want to go on holiday - but also stay effectively in touch? The Crete
telework Network may have the answer. On the other hand, you may just have
an overwhelming need to Turn It Off!
Flexible Work
and HR policies
A series of articles to guide the HR manager through the issues around
implementing flexible working policies. Includes a very useful and practical
checklist.
Burning the candle at
both ends
How managers are experiencing the workplace revolution - with figures from
the Quality of Life 2000 survey
A
Flexibility Manifesto
8 key areas for organisational action to improve performance
Managing
Telework
Review of Managing Telework - Perspectives from Human resources
management and Work Psychology
Absence
makes the heart grow fonder?
An exploration of how new ways of working can improve a
companies performance in relation to absenteeism
Managers
under pressure
Reports show that managers are increasingly feeling the
pressure. Can flexibility help to manage the pressure?
Guide
to Flexible Working
A guide which outlines the issues and will set you up to implement
flexible work
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