DC08-305 September 8, 2008
BT Business guide to stop homeworkers feeling they are missing out on gossip and promotion
Good managers need to help their home-based staff to feel that they are part of the team and that they are not regarded as skivers, according to BT Business.
Although many companies now offer more flexible work patterns, poorly trained management can leave people feeling “out of the loop” and overlooked for promotion.
To help businesses, BT Business has launched a new “how to” guide, the Remote Manager’s Toolkit, designed to help close the gap in skills identified in new BT research showing that 88 per cent of managers have never received training on how to manage remote workers and are not familiar with their IT requirements.
Nearly three quarters of businesses currently offer their staff the opportunity of remote and mobile working, but this is set to increase in just eight months time, with an extra 4.5million staff in the UK gaining the right to request flexible working under plans released in May by the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
The lack of management expertise risks promoting feelings of isolation amongst remote workers and encouraging the culture of “presenteeism”, the long-hours culture, where staff feel that coming in early, staying late and battling on when they are ill is expected.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of employees are concerned that colleagues will accuse them of skiving if they work from home. Another worry felt by almost half (47 per cent) of workers is missing out on the camaraderie, gossip and banter of the office, even though most feel they are more effective when they are working from home. And one in five (22 per cent) say they lack the IT support to work from home effectively.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “Work is no longer a place you go, but something you do. Information and communications technology has provided the means for millions of people to work remotely yet many businesses are hampered by outdated management techniques. We’ve seen huge benefits from remote working for many years internally at BT, which is why we have created this definitive toolkit aimed at equipping managers to help their workers truly take their office anywhere.”
BT Business’ Remote Manager’s Toolkit can help businesses enjoy the benefits of remote working, whilst overcoming challenges such as team collaboration, performance monitoring and worker isolation. The management guide was produced in conjunction with a panel of flexible working experts, and written by the Centre for Future Studies.
The Toolkit give advice about how best to harness tools such as conferencing and shared work spaces, to make the most of efficiency savings, motivate employees using new styles of collaborative working. Its recommendations include:
• Measure an employee’s output, or results, rather than the hours they spend in the office or at their desk.
• Communicate openly and frequently, and promote an environment based on trust.
• Make the most of all the technologies available so that employees are always connected, can collaborate effectively – and never feel left out.
• Provide advice and training so that remote workers develop strong organisation, self-motivation and decision making skills.
The author of the Toolkit, Dr Frank Shaw of the Centre for Future Studies, said: “Remote working is the future of work in the UK, enabling cost savings, environmental benefits, and greater work-life balance for employees. Whilst the technology is in place, the management skills are not. By drawing upon our expert panel we’ve aimed to give managers all the practical advice and tools they need to make sure their business has the flexible edge.”
The panel of flexible working experts contributing to the Toolkit includes Phil Flaxton, chief executive, Work Wise UK; Bill Murphy, managing director, BT Business; Peter Thomson, director of the Future Work Forum, Henley Management College; Nick Isles, director of Advocacy, The Work Foundation; Dr John Gundry, Knowledge Ability, a remote working consultancy and Caroline Waters, head of People, HR & Policy, BT Group.
For more information about the Remote Manager’s Toolkit, employers should visit: www.bt.com/remotetoolkit.
Businesses can join a free, interactive, live webinar at: www.insight.bt.com/events/Managing-remote-workers/ at 2pm on September 10 with members of the panel of experts who will be discussing in practical terms how remote workers can be better managed.
Notes to editors
BT 21st century Life Index Report
BT worked in conjunction with Ipsos MORI to undertake a three stage research study into the usage and attitudes of the general public towards technology. This involved extensive desk research to establish a benchmark of life in Britain ten years ago, a nationwide survey comprising a total of 2,006 confidential face to face interviews conducted in-home across Great Britain between January 25 and January 31 2008 and finally, a supplementary survey with 618 16-35 year olds, conducted in-home May 2 - 8, 2008. The results quoted above are based on data which have been weighted to be nationally representative. The 1998 MORI study, which was used to benchmark the findings of the 2008 study, was also conducted face to face amongst 2,124 members of the general public across Great Britain.
BT Business IT Skills Report
The research was conducted by YouGov Plc for the IT Skills for Flexible Working Report commissioned by BT and the Centre for Future Studies. Total sample size was 1,011 senior managers/ directors in a private sector company of up to 249 employees. Fieldwork was undertaken between September 14 – 21, 2007. The survey was carried out online. The figures are unweighted.
