Seminars

[Teleworking ..... a Different Way of Doing Things]

A one-day Seminar that uses syndicate workshops to examine the financial and organisational considerations of adopting or increasing Teleworking.

The 90's has established itself as the Decade of Change. All organisations, both commercial and non-profit making, are having to examine how they operate in order to survive and thrive, and to respond to competition from new networked businesses.

Many are looking to the introduction of Teleworking. What are the implications?

Presented by:
SW2000 Teleworking Studies
14 Brookside, Headington, Oxford OX3 7PJ
Tel: +44 (0)1865 60994 - Fax: +44 (0)1865 64520
100143.2571@compuserve.com

Network Learning Ltd
The Old Tannery, Oakdene Road, Redhill RH1 6BT
Tel: +44 (0)1734 453753 - Fax: +44 (0)1734 453753
tony@learnco.demon.co.uk

"Teleworking ...
... a Different Way of Doing Things"

Introduction

Many organisations see Teleworking as an opportunity to become more flexible, more adaptive and to reduce costs. Therefore, for most enterprises this means CHANGE and they must assess its impact. If you are considering or about to embark upon a teleworking strategy, there are two fundamental and primary questions in deciding if it is right for your organisation:

What are the financial implications for the bottom line and what are the budgets for implementation?
How can it be introduced into the organisational culture and day-to-day operation to ensure that it is effective?

In summary, how should it be approached and managed .... to be Successful?

Purpose of the Seminar

This Seminar addresses these two primary questions and enables participants to identify the next steps or confirm progress to-date regarding teleworking. From each aspect it considers the Organisation and the Individuals, both as employees and within their households.

Content of the Seminar

It is an intensive day, divided into two parts. It uses practical hands-on syndicate workshops to enable delegates to develop their understanding of the issues and test basic pragmatic guidelines that can be taken away for further development and application in the partcipants' organisations.

The morning is devoted to the financial considerations of teleworking, using UK methodologies that have been developed empirically. They are based on numerous real cases reported and considered in 1993-95 USA workshops on Costs, Benefits and Budgets for Teleworkers. Some 130 Corporate managers have participated and confirmed the value of the workshops.

The workshop explores briefly the macro-economics for the Organisation including environmental costings. Focus switches to the Employer's costs and benefits based on each delegate's own input, were they to telework. This very personal approach ensures an understanding of the calculation methods. The Employee's case for teleworking, an even more personal issue, is dealt with generically. PC-based software (TeleworkAudits ^(TM)) is on hand to aid the arithmetic, but delegates are asked to bring pocket calculators.

In the afternoon the emphasis moves to the more subtle inter-personal challenges of organisational culture and politics. These frequently determine success or failure when an organisation seeks to introduce change.

Delegate teams play a powerful business game, using a computer model, developed and proved from extensive research in Europe and the USA, to identify the behavioural characteristics of different organisations. Delegates begin to identify the expectations of their own organisational cultures, and develop initial thoughts on how their enterprise might approach the introduction of teleworking, from the viewpoint of both the employees and the organisation.

To close the day both subjects, Finance and Organisational Change, are brought together and reviewed.

Benefits of Flexible Working

Increasingly companies are turning to new and varied employment strategies in response to skills shortages, property costs, high overheads and changing employee expectations. Today's advanced technology means that it is often cost-effective for information to travel instead of people, and a number of companies have reported significant increases in productivity from employees who have reduced their commuting and travel by working from home.

New networked companies are challenging the profits of traditional organisations by strategic application of IT-enhanced flexible work methods.

Benefits to Organisations:

Increase competitive advantage
Reduce central office costs
Optimise staff performance
Strengthen Disaster Planning
Attract and retain key people
Minimise cost and disruption of relocation
Improve environmental reputation

Benefits to Individuals:

More retained income at no cost to employer
Reduce stress and illness from commuting
Integrate work and personal life
Control and design of workplace
Effective time management
Productive and balanced lifestyle
Increase personal safety

Benefits of the Seminar

Delegates who attend the Seminar will be able to:

Financial:

identify the numerous commercial factors that must be considered when introducing or expanding teleworking
have the tools and formulae to calculate accurate budgets for training, equipment, support and productivity improvements
understand how to calculate the net effect on the Organisation, the Individuals and their households (supporting software will be available)
be aware of the wider corporate and national economic issues, including environmental factors

Organisational:

identify vital characteristics in the culture of their organisations
assess the likely re-action of their organisation to teleworking
understand the concerns of potential teleworkers and their households, who as individuals, are used to working in a different way within the current environment
identify areas that need further consideration for both the organisation and its potential teleworkers

Integration for Change:

set out the next steps in moving towards or expanding on current teleworking, integrating financial and organisational factors

Who should attend?

This Seminar is for Chief Executives, Directors and Senior Managers of organisations who are faced with taking business decisions regarding flexible working. As already evidenced in the Financial Services industry, teleworking is a key component within flexible working practices.

The organisational, cultural and family aspects will be of particular interest to IT and Human Resources Directors and Managers.

About the Presenters

Noel Hodson: Director, SW2000
SW2000 Teleworking Studies consult to the EC and BT and manage the ECTF-UK. They analysed the largest UK employers in 1992 and wrote The Economics of Teleworking. They also authored Teleworking and Employment in Europe 1994 for DGV, European Commission, and created the text book Teleworking Explained. SW2000 led Flexible Working seminars in Oxford from 1988-92.

Since 1992 Noel Hodson has continued to lead Teleworking seminars in the USA and Europe, the latter including the DTI and major UK employers. Based on his empirical studies he specified the TeleworkAudits ^(TM) software.

Tony Eldridge: Director, Network Learning Ltd
Network Learning is a European company specialising in implementing open, distance and just-in-time learning solutions. These encompass both human and technological networks, the latter normally utilising pc's linked by communications networks.

Tony has spent over thirty years in industry and commerce, having operated predominantly internationally. About one third of his career has been in management consultancy, one third with computer vendors, and the remaining third within Information Systems, holding senior management positions in each.

(Last Updated: Friday, 11-Jan-2002 12:02:08 EST)
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