Flexible Working – Flexible Working – Driving Competitive Advantage for Medium BusinessesDriving Competitive Advantage for Medium Businesses

Steve ClaytonSteve ClaytonHead of Technology for MidmarketHead of Technology for Midmarket

Microsoft UKMicrosoft UKstevecla@microsoft.com

AgendaAgenda

• What is Flexible Working?

• How do I work flexibly?

• Technology supporting Flexible Working

• Giving you competitive advantage

• Who does this today?

What is Flexible Working?What is Flexible Working?

• Part time working

• Flexible hours of work

• Home working

• Managing on outcomes rather than inputs

• Using technology to support working where it benefits the business most

• All of the above…

Inflexible working…Inflexible working…

““I don’t have my calendar I don’t have my calendar with me so can I schedule with me so can I schedule when I get back to the when I get back to the office?”office?”

““Sorry, the data was Sorry, the data was copied incorrectly from copied incorrectly from the paper form”the paper form”

““I can’t access our I can’t access our systems remotely systems remotely – it will have to – it will have to wait until wait until tomorrow”tomorrow”

““if only I had my if only I had my customer data with customer data with me…”me…”

““Let me call back to the Let me call back to the office and see if we have office and see if we have that part in stock”that part in stock”

““I’ll send you that I’ll send you that emailemailwhen I get back to the when I get back to the office”office”

“British management is at a significant crossroads. For years, managers have been used to managing people by simply watching over them. With the rise of flexible working, that style will have to completely change or else we face the prospect of mangers holding back the tide of flexible working, like a modern-day King Canute”

Peter ThomsonDirector of Future Work ForumHenley Management College

Evolving workplaceEvolving workplace

The UK workplace has changed dramatically over the past 200 years

1800-1970sIndustrial

1950-90sTransition

2000+Post Industrial

Manual WorkersFactory Automation

MechanicalElectronicRoboticTraditional place of work

Increase in Office Centered WorkOffice Automation

Data, Forms & DocsTelecoms & ITInternetWork is processTele-working

Info-centric staff:InnovatorsCustomer-FacingSupplier-FacingHigh speed networksMass adoption of mobile technologiesFlexible working

My flexible work styleMy flexible work style

• 10 years ago I worked exclusively from an office

• 5 years ago I worked primarily from an office despite being field based

• Today, I work where I need to

• At home

• At the office or customers office

• On the Tube

• In the garden

• At my parents, at a coffee shop, in airports, in hotels…

• And the PC is just one of the tools I use to make me unquestionably more productive

Microsoft OfficeWordExcelPowerPointAccess

Designed for:Word processingBusiness modelingPresentationsBusiness data management

Microsoft Office SystemExchange ServerSharePoint Server

ExcelInfoPathSearch & Content Management

Live Communication ServerDesigned for:

Collaboration/EmailWorkflowDocument managementBusiness intelligence

Finance

EmpoweredProfessionals

IT Infrastructu

re

Sales and

Marketing

Operations

Inside today’s changing businessInside today’s changing business

An integrated platform approachAn integrated platform approach

GPRS – WiFi – 3G

Technology Supporting Flexible Technology Supporting Flexible WorkingWorking• Communications

• Email

• Voice Communications

• Instant Messaging, text messaging

• Collaboration

• Documents

• Whiteboard

• Conferencing

• Business Intelligence

• KPI’s, CRM

Research findingsResearch findings

• It’s the result that matters• Reward results and avoid ‘presenteeism’ and the ‘long hours’ culture

• Beef up communication• It is important to keep a balance between formal, factual

communications and the informal;

• The grapevine is still important • It is vital social contact is maintained in virtual teams for people to

work collaboratively;

• Technology can help • Mobile IT has freed up people to work apart but it also has the power

to bring people together. Managers need to use the different media in a planned way that best suits their operation;

• Train, train, train • Employees need to learn to work differently and adjust to a more

independent environment.

Source: Tomorrow’s Work research from Microsoft and the Henley Management College

Does it extend to working on holiday?Does it extend to working on holiday?

• 57% of British professionals work while on holiday

• Nearly nine out of ten people (89%) admit to checking their email

• Two-thirds (66%) check voicemail

• Half (47%) write documents.

The competitive advantageThe competitive advantage

• Staff attraction and retention

• Improved customer responsiveness and satisfaction

• Improved work life balance

• Higher productivity

• Reduction in commuting

• Lower stress levels (despite often longer hours)

• Reduced building costs

• Appearing bigger than you are

Who does this today?Who does this today?

Who is doing this today?Who is doing this today?

ConclusionsConclusions

• Employees need guidance over when, where and how they are expected to work flexibly; being always available can lead to resentment

• Organisations should consider the move to managing more by outcomes than inputs; results vs. attendance

• Technology has a significant part to play in enabling flexible working and driving competitive advantage

Thank you for your time.Thank you for your time.