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Flexible working really does increase
productivity, claims O2, after conducting
an experiment to demonstrate its benefits
and assess O2’s ability to cope with flexible
working demands linked to the 2012 Olympics.
O2 asked 2,500 staff at its Slough head office –
almost one fifth of the company’s entire workforce
– to work away from the office on February 8,
leaving just a skeleton crew of 125 mission-critical
staff in the 200,000 square foot building.
After the event, nine out of 10 employees (88%)
said they were at least as effective as on a normal
day in the office, with 36% claiming to have been
more productive, largely through better use of time
normally spent travelling. In total, O2 employees
saved 2,000 hours of commuting time (45 minutes
per person), 52% of which was spent working.
This also had a positive effect on people’s
work:life balance, as 14% of the time saved was
spent with family; 16% on more time in bed; 12%
on relaxation (sport, reading etc.); and 6% on
commuting elsewhere.
The experiment helped reduce O2’s carbon
emissions, as just 109 cars entered the O2 car park
on February 8 compared to 1,100 on an average day.
Within the building, electricity consumption fell by
12% and water usage by 53%. However, gas usage
increased slightly – perhaps due to the loss of body
heat in the building.
Overall, O2 saved approximately 12.2t of CO
2
eq,
the equivalent to driving 42,000 miles in a medium-
sized diesel car.
To support flexible working on this scale, O2
made a significant investment in its infrastructure
including its network, Virtual Private Network (VPN)
technology and a new Microsoft Lync system.
On February 8, the number of VPN users reached
1,990 (80% of the Slough workforce) compared to
1,300 on an average day; instant messaging use was
up 40.8%; and the number of Lync Meetings hosted
increased by 29%.
O2 business director Ben Dowd added that the
initiative was worthwhile because it highlighted
areas where O2 could make improvements.
“Line managers are used to managing people they
can see. Managing them remotely is a completely
different thing.We can do a lot more to support line
managers in charge of remote teams, but we know
it’s not going to happen overnight,” he said.
O2’s flexible working strategy follows the
consolidation of its operations into a single
campus in Slough, which reduced the number
of desks needed by 550 and shrank O2’s carbon
footprint by 53%.
Railroading flexi-work
Following similar initiatives with SNCF
and Shell in France and Trenitalia in Italy,
Regus has signed an agreement with
the Dutch national railway company NS
to open 13 Regus/NS station2station
business centres on the Dutch intercity
network by the end of 2012. The first
to be opened is at Amersfoort, near
Utrecht. The new centres will meet
growing demand for drop-in workspace
from the new breed of flexible worker
who is required to embrace a nomadic
work style as the traditional, fixed
location office becomes just one of
many workplace options.
www.futuresource-consulting.com
Going underground
Commuters will soon be able to
surf the internet while waiting for
a Tube, as Virgin Media and London
Underground roll-out a freeWiFi
service to 120 stations across the
capital. The aim is toWiFi-enable 80
stations by the end of July, with 40
more completed by year-end. Users
will be able to access a free online
portal offering Transport for London
service information, entertainment
and news.
O2 sings praises of flexi-work
after head office shuts for a day
agenda
n
The benefits enjoyed by O2 are not limited to large businesses. In a recent Regus survey of 2,500 senior
UK managers, over two thirds (71%) of small businesses said they had enjoyed increased productivity as a
result of flexible working practices and 63% linked increased revenue to flexi-working. SME respondents also
reported that their staff were more energised and motivated thanks to flexible working (51%).
01732 759725
magazine
05
Home workers at risk of injury
Uncomfortable employees could be costing UK
business £52 billion a year in lost productivity or
£3,279 per person, per year.
Fellowes makes the claim in light of a new survey
which found that 70% of employees spend an average of
51 minutes per day (or 24.4 days a year) rearranging their
workspace and fidgeting to get comfortable.
What the research doesn’t make clear is whether this
is caused by workstation design or other factors such as
drinking too much the night before or wearing too tight
shoes.
Nevertheless, the research does raise the serious
point that fewer than half (45%) of UK office workers
have been given a workstation risk assessment. Amongst
home workers the figure is just 18%. One in five said they
received no help or support from their company in creating
a comfortable workspace.
www.ergo.fellowes.com/en/workstation-assessment