Flexible Working
Every day, millions of people travel to their place of work and then travel home again, causing much pollution and congestion. Sometimes the nature of the job means that it must be done at a specific place, however many jobs that are undertaken in central locations such as offices could just as easily be done at home. Technology has provided organisations with an opportunity to work more flexibly, and new ways of working can provide benefits to both the organisation and staff. This supports the objectives of a Travel Plan by reducing the need to use the car for work, therefore reducing the need to use the car to travel to work.
Telephone and Video Conferencing
Tele-conferencing involves the use of video and/or audio facilities to allow people to communicate at a distance. The cost of this technology has decreased rapidly over the last few years and so can provide a cost effective alternative to staff driving to meetings; this saves time and reduces travel costs.
Homeworking
Enabling staff to work from home for all or part of the working week is becoming increasingly popular.
The benefits of introducing homeworking to an organisation are:
- enhancing the labour pool from which to employ staff, and retaining committed and experienced staff
- saving on work related transport costs, such as business mileage, car parking provision and the need for company cars
- reducing the need to move to larger offices
- reducing office overheads
- providing a more flexible work force and supporting family friendly policies
- increased productivity and reduced travelling time for staff
For more information about smarter working practices that could benefit your company, visit www.workwiseuk.org/