Is it just about technology?

I was once in a management meeting where we were pushing for the new CRM system to be installed. The IT Director said, "I can have that in place for you very quickly and easily. The issue isn't about technology, but culture. You people will have to change your mindset and behaviour in order to get value from it, That isn't so quick and easy!"

I immediately recognised the truth in this.

Your point about remote working is a good one. We must remember that it can take time for people to get comfortable with this notion. A culture that rewards presenteeism and undermines trust between present and remote workers may be a challenge for all concerned.

The other related challenge is building and maintaining relationships. It can be a case of "out of sight, out of mind." A senior oil company executive once told me his time in SE Asia slowed his career progression as he wasn't present in those regular face to face conversations that happened in London.

I'm all for finding viable ways to help women progress. Using technology must surely help men and women to flex their office hours. However, it will take time, and as I said in my recent blog (http://bit.ly/ibW7Gs) men must work with women to bring these changes in thinking and behaviour.

Posted by: Peter Milligan , 12 Apr 2011

Time out

Unless one hands the children over to a very full time nanny, having children and then part-time working certainly does slow down one's career.

One of the key issues that it can take women out of the workplace at the very time when they would otherwise be honing their management, networking and technical skills. Going back into the workplace at a later date is possible, but is a huge challenge when competing against younger people with more experience.

Some professional bodies are excellent at providing courses aimed at getting women back into the workplace - eg specialised technical updates (ie what's happened in the last 5 years) and tailored soft-skill courses. However that is all a relatively recent development.

Working remotely can certainly help, although beware - you may become less visible in your organisation. Firms are however gradually tuning into the advantages of employing remote workers, who can be far more productive, expect (and receive!) far less pay and don't take up expensive office space as the employee suffers the cost of their own office. However, remote workers do need to be looked after, eg with high spec IT, as that is the only way they can communicate with others in the firm.

It's ironic that after years of trying to juggle commutes and school runs, meetings and ill children, now that my children have grown up I find myslelf working remotely! And it's not all it's cracked up to be. OK the commute across the hall does not take long, but there are some significant issues which need to be addressed - perhaps in another article?

Posted by: Ellie Goddard , 12 Apr 2011

Remote Working

Surely the ability to work from anywhere would enable not only a more productive team but also facilitate a real change in working practice that can help deliver quantifiable business added value.

There are growing indications that those organisations that have already put in place robust remote working policies will be best placed to enable staff flexibility without compromising productivity. With the right Software as a Service model, organisations can enable staff to work from anywhere. The finance team can still undertake essential operations – such as ensuring customer orders are raised, invoices paid or cash flow analysed. The logistics department can track deliveries, deal with customer queries and manage supply chain glitches –securely, from home or any other browser enabled location.

Leveraging remote working could be the best answer to reducing business disruption and risk, whilst still boosting staff morale.

Mike Risley
Commercial Director
Nolan Business Solutions

Posted by: Mike Risley, Commercial Director, Nolan Business Solutions , 14 Apr 2011