Flexible working policies and environments in UK Local Authorities: current practice

The research surveys the uptake of 'modern' or flexible working practices in UK Local Authorities, especially as it impacts on property and office accommodation. Nearly all permit flexible starting and finishing times for as many employees as is practical while forms of accredited hours working for at least some appropriate employees are policy in a majority. Flexible practices with property and ICT implications, working from home without a dedicated work station, formal policies, 'hot' desking, flexible offices and satellite or drop-in offices are less common (ca 10%) but have grown significantly in the last two years. A number of councils also report being at the stage of planning pilots. Five detailed case studies are reported. Three authorities have expanding strategic programmes for 'workstyle' changes or new ways of working. One has shifted its emphasis away from such plans toward higher density office usage only and one was awaiting the election result before anticipated permission to start. These cases do all come from authorities in areas of much higher than average property values and costs. While they have seen savings, they emphasise that the initiatives were equally about better work life balance and improved office environments. Green benefits and service enhancements are harder to quantify but are believed to have been achieved. Higher density of net space utilisation has uniformly been achieved. Executive commitment and clear member support are seen as critical strategic success factors. Clear liaison between HR, Property/ Facilities and ICT has been essential to operational success. Entrenched management attitudes and, at least initially, staff reluctance to change, are cited as the major drawbacks. Accounting and valuation practices can also be a barrier. Similar messages are provided by a variety of pilots, some undertaken deliberately as strategic tests, others as much more of an ad hoc response to local circumstances. Most have not, or not yet, seen net office space reduced. The more successful pilots were not 'just' either property or HR policy initiatives: indeed there is some evidence that initiatives involving only one of the two functions have been less successful. Service areas most frequently cited as being involved in changes are various property functions. Trading Standards and Social Services are other areas where the real or potential development of flexible working and shared desking is highlighted though the latter in particular is also cited as an area where workers in the office have particular mutual support needs. Higher density officing for less mobile workers is, in principle, an option more widely available. Workplace strategy should reflect future service delivery models, asset management plans and organisational development. New ways of working have been a tool for achieving changes in culture and delivery, but were, and are, a challenge to traditional mindsets. They will involve senior property professionals in a range of issues with which they have not traditionally been associated. Future property and workplace strategy will be driven by an authority's service models and aspirations as to working culture: but will also be a tool, alongside organisational development (OD) and ICT, to achieve change and improvement

THE EFFECTS OF TELEWORK ON ORGANISATION AND BUSINESS TRAVEL An exploratory study on a university context

In recent years, many companies have implemented telework to improve work efficiency and quality of life for employees. Transport planners attempt to assist companies in reducing business travel time losses related to traffic congestion by stimulating telework. However, current knowledge concerning the effects of teleworking on business travel is limited. Furthermore, despite constant promotion, telework penetration in The Netherlands remains low because companies are uncertain about the benefits of teleworking and its effects on their organisation and employees. In this paper, insights from literature review and pilot survey results are used to contribute to the development of a preliminary exploratory model.

Practices and trends of telework in the Portuguese industry: the results of surveys in the textile, metal and software sectors

The aim of the TeleRisk Project on labour relations and professional risks within the context of teleworking in Portugal – supported by IDICT – Institute for Development and Inspection of Working Conditions (Ministry of Labour), is to study the practices and forms of teleworking in the manufacturing sectors in Portugal. The project chose also the software industry as a reference sector, even though it does not intend to exclude from the study any other sector of activity or the so-called “hybrid” forms of work. However, the latter must have some of the characteristics of telework. The project thus takes into account the so-called “traditional” sectors of activity, namely textile and machinery and metal engineering (machinery and equipment), not usually associated to this type of work. However, telework could include, in the so-called “traditional” sectors, other variations that are not found in technologically based sectors. One of the evaluation methods for the dynamics associated to telework consisted in carrying out surveys by means of questionnaires, aimed at employers in the sectors analysed. This paper presents some of the results of those surveys. It is important to mention that, being a preliminary analysis, it means that it does not pretend to have exhausted all the issues in the survey, but has meant that it shows the bigger tendencies, in terms of teleworking practices, of the Portuguese industry.teleworking; organisation of work; Portugal; manufacturing

Secure portable execution and storage environments: A capability to improve security for remote working

Remote working is a practice that provides economic benefits to both the employing organisation and the individual. However, evidence suggests that organisations implementing remote working have limited appreciation of the security risks, particularly those impacting upon the confidentiality and integrity of information and also on the integrity and availability of the remote worker’s computing environment. Other research suggests that an organisation that does appreciate these risks may veto remote working, resulting in a loss of economic benefits. With the implementation of high speed broadband, remote working is forecast to grow and therefore it is appropriate that improved approaches to managing security risks are researched. This research explores the use of secure portable execution and storage environments (secure PESEs) to improve information security for the remote work categories of telework, and mobile and deployed working. This thesis with publication makes an original contribution to improving remote work information security through the development of a body of knowledge (consisting of design models and design instantiations) and the assertion of a nascent design theory. The research was conducted using design science research (DSR), a paradigm where the research philosophies are grounded in design and construction. Following an assessment of both the remote work information security issues and threats, and preparation of a set of functional requirements, a secure PESE concept was defined. The concept is represented by a set of attributes that encompass the security properties of preserving the confidentiality, integrity and availability of the computing environment and data. A computing environment that conforms to the concept is considered to be a secure PESE, the implementation of which consists of a highly portable device utilising secure storage and an up-loadable (on to a PC) secure execution environment. The secure storage and execution environment combine to address the information security risks in the remote work location. A research gap was identified as no existing ‘secure PESE like’ device fully conformed to the concept, enabling a research problem and objectives to be defined. Novel secure storage and execution environments were developed and used to construct a secure PESE suitable for commercial remote work and a high assurance secure PESE suitable for security critical remote work. The commercial secure PESE was trialled with an existing telework team looking to improve security and the high assurance secure PESE was trialled within an organisation that had previously vetoed remote working due to the sensitivity of the data it processed. An evaluation of the research findings found that the objectives had been satisfied. Using DSR evaluation frameworks it was determined that the body of knowledge had improved an area of study with sufficient evidence generated to assert a nascent design theory for secure PESEs. The thesis highlights the limitations of the research while opportunities for future work are also identified. This thesis presents ten published papers coupled with additional doctoral research (that was not published) which postulates the research argument that ‘secure PESEs can be used to manage information security risks within the remote work environment’

Employee benefits and challenges of telecommuting virtual working arrangements in the services industry

M. Comm.Virtual working arrangements, including telecommuting, are on the increase globally due to the challenges that organisations face in the current global economy. Virtual working arrangements present considerable possible benefits to organisations, employees and the community at large if correctly implemented. It is estimated that 45 million Americans teleworked in 2006 alone (O’Brien & Hayden, 2007) with predictions of the number reaching 100 million in the United States of America by 2010 (Wilsker, 2008). However, in South Africa this organisational form is not well documented or implemented presently. As a result, local organisations are unaware of the employee benefits and challenges that will be faced when implementing a telecommuting programme and how best to implement teleworking arrangements with these factors in mind

Employee benefits and challenges of telecommuting virtual working arrangements in the services industry

M. Comm.Virtual working arrangements, including telecommuting, are on the increase globally due to the challenges that organisations face in the current global economy. Virtual working arrangements present considerable possible benefits to organisations, employees and the community at large if correctly implemented. It is estimated that 45 million Americans teleworked in 2006 alone (O’Brien & Hayden, 2007) with predictions of the number reaching 100 million in the United States of America by 2010 (Wilsker, 2008). However, in South Africa this organisational form is not well documented or implemented presently. As a result, local organisations are unaware of the employee benefits and challenges that will be faced when implementing a telecommuting programme and how best to implement teleworking arrangements with these factors in mind

Exploring Leadership Communication Strategies for Supporting Telework Employee Services Productivity and Job Satisfaction

The practice problem centered on the need for organizations to implement effective leadership communication strategies that can support teleworking employees\u27 job satisfaction and service productivity. In this qualitative case study, the significance of effective communication strategies between a behavioral health leader (BHL) and her employees in a telework setting was explored. The aim was to enhance service productivity and employee satisfaction in a behavioral health organization located in the southeastern region of the United States. The Baldridge Framework was used to assess and improve organizational performance, including leadership communication strategies. Data were gathered through multiple interviews with BHLs for 9 months and archival data. Findings indicated that effective communication, leadership, barriers, social isolation, time management, discipline, supportive workplace, and balance can support teleworking employees\u27 job satisfaction and service productivity. The results can inform leaders and organizations on effective communication with remote employees and the strengths and limitations of different strategies. Recommendations should be developed and implemented strategically over 6 months to 1 year. This study contributes to positive social change by establishing organizational structures, quality improvement objectives, and effective communication practices to enhance service productivity and employee satisfaction in telework settings while promoting compliance expectations

Telework in the Federal Government: The Overview Memo

Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs) alter the time and/or place that employees work on a regular basis in a manner that is manageable and predictable for both employees and employers.1 Telework, also called telecommuting, refers to an FWA that enables an employee to work from an alternative place to the employer’s usual worksite, typically home or a satellite work center. Telework technically refers to work performed with the use of a telecommunications connection to the workplace (e.g., computer, telephone), but the term is als

Training versus profession: from traslation to web location

One of the hottest topics of debate in the context of higher education is the existing divide in different regions of the world between university training and the job market. Although no consensus exists on possible ways to solve this, it is probably necessary to seek a balance between passive submission to the fluctuations in market demands, and settling in to educational stagnation. The Translation and Interpreting Degree offered in Spanish universities teaches students specific linguistic, cultural and instrumental knowledge that enables them to solve problems specific to the essential modalities and spheres of translation and interpreting. The job market those graduating in this degree enter is complex, for various reasons [1]. It is a dynamic, multimedia market, focused on speed, which demands high quality, based on teamwork and, above all in recent times, one dominated by localization as an emerging activity [2]. It can be affirmed that, given that translation has evolved in the same manner as its environment, teaching methods must also adapt to the new era and to the reality of the market. We have proposed a teaching-learning environment based on our PATT (Professional Approach to Translator Training) Model [3-4] which, under a social constructivist focus, offers the opportunity to integrate the fundamental subjects of the degree in a way that the training of future translators is guaranteed the necessary coherence provided by this broad vision of the profession. In this context, ICTs are essential tools. Despite the fact that, traditionally, student assessment has focused on the product, that is, the translated text, we argue that the assessment of the translation process, although entailing an enormous challenge, better reflects the acquisition of skills. Furthermore, the ideal situation would be for students, within the framework of continuous training, to be able to manage their own learning experience. We have designed self-assessment and peer review tools that take in a wide range of skills. Within the sphere of translation, localization is the linguistic, cultural and technical translation, and adaptation, of an electronic product into another product aimed at a local market. In the final part of our study we focus on pedagogical issues related to the training of specialised translators and localizers who will be working in the field of web localization.This study was supported by the RD&I Project CSO2015-64532-R (Spanish "Ministry of Science and Innovation") partially funded by the FEDER program of the European Union