Work Wise Week ñ UK - National Work from Home Day

Work Wise Week is a national initiative designed to encourage the widespread adoption of smarter working practices. It starts today with ìNational Work from Home Dayî.

Work Wise Week is designed to highlight the benefits of flexible working and the positive impact it can have on employers, employees, society and the environment.

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Claire Darley, Chief Marketing Officer for Adecco explains: ìThe term ëflexible workingí is a widely used phrase that describes any working pattern adapted to suit your needs. This flexibility can take form in a number of waysî:

- Working from home
- Part-time: working less than the normal hours, perhaps by working fewer days per week or shorter days
- Flexi-time: choosing when to work (there is usually a core period during which you have to work)
- Annualised hours: your hours are worked out over a year (often set shifts with you deciding when to work the other hours)
- Compressed hours: working your agreed hours over fewer days
- Staggered hours: different starting, break and finishing times for employees in the same workplace
- Job sharing: sharing a job designed for one person with someone else
- Mobile working: working on the move from various offices or other 'hot desking', working from business centres or internet cafes

Encouraging such schemes in the workplace can have a number of benefits inside and outside of the working arena, including:

- A more motivated workforce
- Reduced staff turnover as staff are less likely to leave if they feel they have a healthy work-life balance
- Less money spent on sick time as staff are less stressed, run down and de-motivated to work
- Cost savings in terms of real estate and operations. Fewer staff in the office will mean need for a smaller office and less operations assistance
- Greater allowance for people who may have otherwise found work difficult such as single parents and those with disabilities
- Reduced levels of stress
- More time to spend on families and other interests
- Reduced road and public transport congestion
- Reduced pollution through avoiding journeys and taking shorter journeys

Claire Darley, Chief Marketing Officer for Adecco says, ìFlexible working is a great concept! Understandably flexible working is not always possible or practical however, with some effort, a large percentage of UK businesses could benefit from incorporating some aspects of flexible working.

As we become more echo-aware and conscious of maintaining a healthy work-life balance being more flexible with working hours will become an integral part of running an efficient and successful business. This might be something that some industries should begin to consider if they wish to stay ahead of the trends in an ever-evolving job market.î