Keywords
Citation
(2000), "The best of both worlds? Developing sustainable teleworking", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 21 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2000.02221fab.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2000, MCB UP Limited
The best of both worlds? Developing sustainable teleworking
The best of both worlds? Developing sustainable teleworking
Keywords ACAS, Homeworking, Morale, Motivation, United Kingdom
Introducing homeworking is not a quick fix solution to saving on office overheads, concludes a report published by ACAS, and the Institute for Employment Studies.
Where knowledge-intensive professional work is concerned, developing a sustainable homeworking scheme involves paying attention to staff development, team-building, and sustaining the corporate culture. The report concludes that the rewards come not so much in savings on bricks and mortar but in improved staff motivation, performance and satisfaction. A flexible mix of home-based and office-based working is the best way to ensure a rich and mutually supportive collaborative team environment, in which continuous learning and professionalism can thrive.
As project director Ursula Huws comments:
"In the past there was a conception that homeworking involved a one-way, irreversible move from a desk with your name on it in an office, to a home base. This approach can create pressures and conflicts in any organisation.
"For teleworking to work in an organisation, it is necessary to shift from an 'either-or' mind-set, to giving both managers and staff permission to experiment, and find the arrangement that works best for them."
Advice on best practice at work
A study of homeworking within the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), forms the basis of this detailed case study. After commissioning the research, ACAS asked IES to turn the material into a case study to promote good practice in homeworking. The result is probably the most thorough exploration of homeworking ever carried out in the UK. The report concludes with practical advice on developing a sustainable homeworking strategy.
Andrew Wareing, ACAS director of strategy, welcomed the IES study:
"The report will have immediate resonance and value among those seeking to devise a lasting homeworking strategy at work. After funding IES to carry out its own internal survey of homeworking, we asked the authors to turn the material into a case study so that others could benefit from lessons learned."
"The study does not provide a blueprint for how to introduce homeworking, but it provides an accurate picture of the key considerations in moving forward efficiently and effectively in this area. The IES study provides invaluable insight into the issue."
ACAS is typical of a growing number of organisations in the expanding knowledge sector. Its operational staff are required to:
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be self-directing;
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respond to the needs of clients who are geographically dispersed;
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have exceptionally good communication skills;
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work in distributed teams; and
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work to quantitative targets while retaining a focus on qualitative excellence.
Conclusions
Sustainable homeworking involves:
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ensuring that team-working, mentoring and knowledge sharing are valued in the reward system;
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identifying the key positive features of the corporate culture and ensuring that mechanisms are in place to reinforce them and transmit them to new recruits;
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devolving to line managers the authority to negotiate flexible arrangements which meet both corporate and personal needs;
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developing means (such as buddy systems) to ensure that professional benchmarking can take place;
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maximising individual choice in where and when to work while safeguarding a minimal level of face-to-face interaction;
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reorienting the roles of support staff.
An Evaluation of Homeworking in ACAS, by U. Huws, S. O'Regan and S. Honey. ACAS Research Paper 2, April 2000, may be obtained free from ACAS Reader Ltd, PO Box 16, Earl Shilton, Leicester, LE9 8ZZ. Tel: 01455 852225.