Thursday 15th - Wednesday 21st 2008 |
Work Wise Week 2008 ran from Thursday, May 15, until Wednesday, May 21, and had events where you and your organisation were able to benefit and learn about smarter working.
It commenced with National Work From Home Day on Thursday, May 15. Following last year's great success, many more joined, from Slough stationers to Scottish software sellers. During the week there were many other opportunities to get involved, with each day tackling a different issue. Friday, May 16, examined the environmental benefits of smarter working, Saturday, May 17, and Sunday, May 18, was about those who work at weekends, and Monday, May 19, covered how smarter working can reduce pressure on our congested transport system. The penultimate day, Tuesday, May 19, was about employee and social benefits, helping to encourage a more productive workforce. The week culminated with the Work Wise UK summit at the QEII Conference Centre in central London. Among its keynote speakers was Rt Hon. Hilary Benn MP, Secretary of State, DEFRA, Brendan Barber, Secretary General, TUC, and Caroline Waters, Director of People and Policy, BT. There was opportunity to discover how you and your organisation can boost productivity and competitiveness through smarter working practices. Also organisations found out how to deliver environmental benefits, reducing your future exposure to growing carbon taxes. |
CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE PART
Organisations benefitted from smarter working practices by participating in National Work From Home Day. BT has widely implemented home working and improved its productivity by a staggering 20 per cent. These gains partly stem from eliminating commuting time, reducing staff stress as well as reducing congestion and carbon emissions. Also working from home frees up time, providing a better work-life balance. This helps create a more committed and motivated workforce. Practical tips on home working can be found at useful links or see our Smarter Working Glossary on When and Where to work smarter. |
Against a background of growing environmental concern and consequential green taxation, "business as usual" is no longer an option. This day focused on how smarter working can reduce your or your organisation's emissions, and ultimately cost.
So how can you use smarter working to make your operations greener?
Further practical information on how to implement such working practices can be found at: useful links |
There are many organisations that have to provide a service over the weekend, from those involved in transport, emergency services such as the police and ambulances, through to IT support. Smart working practices could help simplify your organisation's weekend cover, making it more effective and less costly. They also benefit employees' work-life balance, while maintaining accessibility.
Further practical information on how to implement such working practices can be found at: useful links |
The fifth day of Work Wise Week focused on the issue of transport and how smarter working practise can reduce transport demand. This helped relieve congestion and decrease emissions, as well as freeing-up our transport infrastructure, benefiting the UK economy.
You or your organisation were able to join this initiative and experience the rewards, of not only reducing your direct transport costs, but also indirect costs. Valuable staff wasting time commuting or travelling, when a smart alternative is available, add up to a considerable cost to your business. So how can your organisation eliminate unnecessary journeys?
Further practical information on how to implement such working practices can be found at: Useful Links |
Smarter working practices when implemented effectively can lead to a better work-life balance for the workforce. Stress has been identified as a major health issue of the modern age, not only impacting on our quality of life, but also on productivity and competitiveness.
More on smart working business benefits can be found in the Smarter Working Guide You or your organisation are welcome to try out smarter working practices, and experience the advantages of a more motivated workforce. So how can your organisation boost work-life balance and workforce productivity?
Further practical information on how to implement such working practices can be found at: useful links |
Taking place at the QEII Conference Centre in central London, the summit represented an opportunity for delegates to share the smarter working expertise of eminent business leaders and heads of professional bodies. In the morning session, keynote speakers explained how these methods help boost productivity and competitiveness. Delegates also discovered how transport congestion, pollution, health, work-life balance and participation of disadvantaged groups in the workplace can be improved through smarter working practices, providing major economic and social benefits to the UK.
In the afternoon, the focus shifted to understanding how smarter working can reduce the future impact of green taxes on organisations, and help tackle the threat of climate change. Over the next 10 to 15 years, business will face conditions where emissions are increasingly taxed. Against this background, firms which implement sustainable strategies such as smarter working will be more successful than those who do not. Speakers for the day included:
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