In 2005 (later revised in 2007 and 2008) Bolton Council introduced its home working policy as part of the wider flexible working strategy. The policy applies to all employees of the Council but particularly for white collar workers where the traditional office can be replicated in the home. The home working policy sets out its key components and provides: Definitions and assumed benefits of occasional, regular and mobile based home workers Eligibility criteria for staff to work from home Practical considerations for effective home working Responsibilities for managers, staff and HR to support home working Background Bolton Council recognising that changes to the traditional working pattern can be driven either by the employee, service needs or both has in place a comprehensive home working policy as part of the wider flexible working strategy. However, the policy makes it clear that home working is “not a replacement for child or elder care. Employees with caring responsibilities should make alternative arrangements to ensure these responsibilities are managed should they wish to work from home” (Bolton Council, 2008). According to the Assistant Director, HR, Bolton Council, the policy was designed back in 2005 because “It was the thing in HR, to give the people the flexibility in times and places that they worked..So it was the councils response as a modern employer to support staff..It was nice to have without any particular strategic aim”. Subsequently the policy was strengthened as part of the council’s efficiency agenda and its objective to reduce the property footprint. 2.1 Definition Effective use of ICT can make location dependant working a thing of the past. Home working capitalises on th... ... middle of paper ... ...ing communication with the employee so that they are aware of an engaged with organisational developments • Conducting regular reviews DMT are responsible for: • Championing flexible working • Considering recommendations for homeworking • Approving or rejecting homeworking applications • Ongoing monitoring and reviewing the effectiveness of homeworking arrangements. Staff wishing to work from home are responsible for: • Completing the necessary application and assessments • Complying with health and safety • Information security • Informing management of any changes to homeworking arrangements The homeworking policy is a large document which contains not only policy statements but also processes, procedures and all relevant application forms which the homeworkers and manager are required to fill out when making an application for homeworking.
Previous generations have a strong belief of keeping work and home life separate; that work is for work and home is for play (Rampell, 2011, para 21). Today’s professionals do not seem to abide by similar beliefs, constantly crossing the borders of one into the other. While many recognize this as an issue that could result in employees being less productive, it has actually resulted in them accepting that their work may run late into the evening or even into the weekend. I agree with this completely in that I grew up being taught that business is business and personal is personal; you leave your home life at the door. But now times have changed, and my weekends are no longer dedicated to my home life, but for work, because I attend classes during the week. Also, in my line of work in the Allied Health industry, it is a requirement to work off hours. Long gone are the days of working nine to five, Monday through Friday; technology and the demand of wanting affairs done and done as soon as possible, has made it so the “work week” is now 24-7. “Jon Della Volpe, the director of polling at Harvard Institute of Politics, said, ‘Some experts also believe that today’s young people are better at quickly switching from one task to another, given their exposure to so many stimuli during their childhood and adolescence’” (Rampbell,
Another focus for change is that over the years the demand for home and community care over hospital care has continued to grow, as stated by the Queens nursing institute “Recent health policy points to the importance of improving and extending services to meet the health and care needs of an increasingly older population and provide services which may have previously been provided in hospital within community settings”.
A healthy flow of upward and downward communication ensures that the communications between managers and employees is complete. For example, in 2010, Kroger surveyed over 200 thousand employees in its “Associate First Tracker survey” and found the feedback both invaluable and “humbling.” Kroger then communicates the findings with their employees who participated which will then generate a new dialog in regard to what the next steps should be (Orgel, 2010). The final channel of communication is the use of horizontal communications between coworkers. This can...
Engagement is also an important part for the employees. The company provides information of the board meetings to all employees. This enhances the employees’ feelings of being well-informed and engaged. The employees even can challenge the current unit wage for manufactured parts. This is an open discussion, so we can see that employees are treated as if they were partners.
This legislation applies only to those who have worked for an employer for more than a year. Therefore, Alfie has to prove that he has continuously been working for East End Global Technology for a period exceeding one year. In addition, his service to East End must have been terminated only through the dismissal. For Alfie’s claim to be valid, he has forward it...
A typical day for most people in today's world starts out with an early commute to work. People working in the city know what a hassle it is to deal with the many thousands of other trying to make their way to work. Dealing with long commutes and traffic congestion is a commonplace in today's fast-paced society. What if you had a chance to do most of your work at home? Would it be beneficial to you and your company? That is a common question one, which more and more companies are finding out is the future of business.
Employee engagement, a term devised by Gallup research group, is viewed as an important management tool for any company who wants to be an effective and productive organization. Researches have shown that employee can contribute positively to the organization vision and goal when a company engage them effectively. The employee will also feel more passionate about their work and have a sense of belonging.
Working in today’s society has changed in the last few decades. The economy and technology are the main reasons for this change. The type of job and environment where one works has also changed. The fact that many people work from home via the internet has drastically changed the workforce and the environment surrounding it. With this change comes new demands, expectations, and opportunities for employers.
Telecommuting may be the movement of the future, which will allow more people to work away from the office. Many people see telecommuting as a way to be close to home or allow them to be connected to their organization while working abroad. While telecommuting might work for some people, telecommuting is not for everyone. There are many disadvantages; as well advantages to telecommuting which most people do not take into account. When considering telecommuting, the advantages fall for both employer and employee. The same can be said about the disadvantages of telecommuting.
The workplace today goes beyond just the walls and ceilings that surround an office environment or office building. According to the International Telework Association and Council, 44.4 million Americans worked from home at least part of the time in 2004, up 7.5% from just on year earlier (Earthweb, 2005). Though it may be very convenient to work from home, the choice can bring its own set of problems. There are financial reasons, efficiencies, and even managing time are just a few to name that bring about many challenges and issues that any remote employee would face in that type of work environment.
What is telecommuting, and why would anyone want to either be employed by or employ others to work from their home? The telecommuting employees are “Salaried employees of an organization replace or modify the commute by working at home or a location closer to home than the regular workplace, generally using ICT to support productivity and communication with the supervisor, co-workers, clients, and other colleagues.” (Hoang, Nickerson, Beckman, & Eng, 2008) and according to studies 47 percent of telecommuting workers report that they are more productive while working from home due to a lessening of stress and increased satisfaction in their career - while their employers glean the benefit of saving 63 percent of the cost of absenteeism and save thousands of dollars annually over traditionally employed workers. (Potter, 2003) While some may say that in order to function properly in a workplace you have to be in the workplace, with minor adjustments in technology on both the employer’s and employee’s part telecommuting has become a proven, viable way for businesses to function profitably while their workforce remains able to reduce the stress of commuting on their personal and family lives.
...ingly, by which the company will get the best outcome from the employees. There should be a two way communication between a manager and an employee as it will minimize the hesitation of a worker at workplace while doing his/her job.
With the rise of mobile working whereby companies employ from different regions without necessarily having employees enclosed in one building, they end up employing more skilled and qualified workers regardless of their location. This has been made possible by companies embracing virtual meetings and video conferencing where managers and
While working at Borders, I experienced quite a bit of upward communication. Employees liked taking their messages to me, I was seen as one of the managers that listened. I would also try to meet their needs by communicating these messages to my ge...