Guest blog for Commute Smart Day: We should end winter commuting misery - By Frances O'Grady - General Secretary of the TUC

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Guest blog for Commute Smart Day: We should end winter commuting misery - By Frances O'Grady - General Secretary of the TUC

Home working, flexible hours and better transport infrastructure could all help to ease our commuting woes.

As autumn shades into winter and the nights become nippy, the thought of going to work becomes a real drag. Whether you are stuck in a traffic jam, freezing at the bus stop or crammed into a train or tube, this is the time of year when commuting becomes a thoroughly boring chore. Many of us will be leaving home in darkness and returning from work in the dark. Things are worse still when we have to battle rain, snow or perhaps even floods like those drenching parts of South Yorkshire. Why on earth do we still have to suffer this winter commuting misery?

Commuting is taking up more of our time

And it’s getting worse. Commuting times are steadily creeping up year on year. New TUC research shows that the average employee now takes nearly an hour a day (58.8 minutes) just getting to work and back. This has increased by 5.4 minutes since 2008. This adds up to an extra 20 hours each year, so it’s no wonder we’re getting fed up with the drudgery of commuting.

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Guest blog: How to tackle the effects of winter weather on your commute - By Chris Smith - Head Writer at Spend It Like Beckham

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Guest blog: How to tackle the effects of winter weather on your commute - By Chris Smith - Head Writer at Spend It Like Beckham

Whether you are a driver, a public transport user or you prefer to walk/cycle - commuting in the winter months is a nightmare. Between iced over cars, dangerous black ice or cancelled trains, there several things that can interrupt your commute but worry no more this guide will help you tackle the effects of winter weather on your commute.

 

Public Transport

Train

There is no denying that those of us who commute by public transport are some of the worst affected and with cold winter weather forecasted for the coming months, it is important that rail and bus commuters are prepared.

If you are a train commuter, then you likely already know that trains are not always reliable and, unfortunately, winter weather only makes this worse. However, as inconvenient as this is for workers, travelling by train in winter weather can be highly dangerous.

To combat the effects of winter weather on your train commute, there are a few things you can do:

·         Catch an earlier train. This will help as by catching an earlier train you help negate the delays you will face and will (hopefully) arrive at work on time.

·         Let your manager know beforehand if you are likely to be affected by forecasted weather. They may allow you to work from home or will, at last, allow for travel delays.

·         Keep a hold on receipts. If you are delayed by a certain amount of time or your trains are cancelled, you can claim travel compensation from most rail networks.

·         Be patient. Yes, it is frustrating to have train delays or cancellations, but in Winter, this is a safety issue. Try to be patient and polite to rail staff – it isn’t their fault.

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Guest blog: Remote without the disconnect - By Steve Bryne, CEO, Travel Counsellors.

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Guest blog: Remote without the disconnect - By Steve Bryne, CEO, Travel Counsellors.

Steve Byrne, CEO at global independent travel company, Travel Counsellors, says self-development doesn’t have to take a back seat when working smarter.

Records show that the number of UK homeworkers has increased by nearly 50% over the last two decades, and out of a UK working population of 32.5m people, four million have decided to take the opportunity to back themselves and run their own business.

With these numbers set to increase, and the next generation of talent around the corner who are well-versed in the benefits of smarter working, I’m reminded of Microsoft Corporation founder Bill Gates’ view: "As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."

Empowering people to work smarter requires a tangible level of trust. It requires trust between the company, as the enabler, and their employees, or in Travel Counsellors case, over 1800 franchise owners across the globe who run their own corporate and leisure travel businesses from home.

Nurturing trusted relationships between employer and employee must go hand-in-hand with creating a strong sense of community across an organisation - a community of people that supports and champions each other to achieve their personal and professional goals, backed by a technology platform that ensures that they feel constantly engaged and digitally connected. The result, in Travel Counsellors case, is a global group of hundreds of professionals, sharing knowledge, support and expertise to provide their customers with the best travel experiences possible. Afterall, you are only ever one Skype call away from a helping hand.

Being trusted to do your job to the very best of your ability is an incredibly powerful tool. Not only for the good of individual and collective business growth, but for the betterment of a person’s self-belief and self-development, both in and out of the workplace.  To quote the American educator Booker T. Washington, “Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.”

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Guest blog: Developing online communities in the workplace - By Katie Joyce, Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England

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Guest blog: Developing online communities in the workplace - By Katie Joyce, Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies at Bristol Business School, University of the West of England

In this guest blog, I reflect back on my recent research findings into the emerging field of ‘Virtual Coaching’.[1] I share some thoughts and ask questions in the hope of stimulating ideas around the development of online communities in the workplace.

Love it or hate it, technology is changing how we communicate with each other.  Internet based communicative platforms have become increasingly central to both our social and professional lives. How many times has a form of ‘virtual’ communication* you’ve engaged with had a direct impact on your thoughts for that day?   Executed successfully, positive interactions via, for example, email/text/tweet/blog may put a spring in your step for the rest of your day; but handled poorly, a brief exchange of words, displayed only as text on a screen, may leave you feeling confused, dejected and possibly isolated. 

 A meme on Twitter caught my attention, it claimed: “Culture cannot be changed through emails and memos, only through relationships, one conversation at a time.” [2]  Indeed, I consider this sentiment to carry great importance and absolutely believe human contact and connection is a priority and something we should never lose sight of.  A lively debate certainly exists in the field of ‘Computer Mediated Communication’ as to whether remote technology acts as a barrier to effective human communication.[3] Some authors consider it a cold and impersonal medium and claim emotions are difficult to express.[4]  Concerns largely stem from the absence of emotional embodiment and one’s verbal and visual cues when using non face-to-face communication methods.  However, other studies have found any such barriers dissolve over time and claim emotional communication online and offline to be surprisingly similar.[5] 

Research I completed in the field of ‘Virtual Coaching’ practice, provides empirical evidence supporting this latter view.  I developed an online blog community for newly qualified clinicians in the NHS, featuring the presence of a ‘virtual coach’.  As a coach myself, I was keen to explore if a remote coaching intervention could help to develop early career potential.  This is typically a time of intense transition and often results in significant performativity pressures for employees.  I opted for blogs as my communication medium because they are said to: “Offer an intriguing platform for personal communication, reflection and expression, creating space for emotional and informational release.”[6]  Participants blogged on a diverse selection of professional development topics linked to their early career transition experiences. 

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Guest blog: Working from home has increased, but why so slow? - By Frances O'Grady - General Secretary of the TUC

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Guest blog: Working from home has increased, but why so slow? - By Frances O'Grady - General Secretary of the TUC

 New TUC research to mark Work Wise UK’s National Work from Home Day shows employee homeworking has increased during the past decade. But we are still a long way from fulfilling the promise of positive flexible working. 

There are 373 thousand more employees working from home than 10 years ago, a 27% increase.

But not enough bosses are giving their workers the option of homeworking – even though it could help people to see more of their family and improve their work-life balance.

Work practices are often stuck in the past

We have the best educated population that we have ever seen. They are particularly adept at using computers and mobiles. Most younger people starting work have been used to independent study and working to deadlines.

Yet far too many employers still rely on a factory-style model, managing by attendance, even when it’s a poor fit.

They are missing a trick. We estimate that 4 million more people want to work from home at least some of the time but aren’t given the chance.

Lack of sufficient trust in employees is bound to have a negative impact on motivation and morale.

This bites even more when the jobs market is tight. With employment rates at record levels employers need to focus on attracting and keeping good people. Offering well-organised homeworking for those who want it would help many employers as well as staff.

What is holding back homeworking?

In many cases its simply outmoded managerial attitudes.

The General Data Protection Regulation is also sometimes cited by employers, but this can be easily dealt with by taking simple common-sense measures.   

There are some other constraints that are the responsibility of government.

Lack of access to fast and reliable broadband is still a problem in parts of the UK

The decline of home ownership – down by more than a million since the crash – is also a factor. People who own their property are 73% more likely to work from home than renters.

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