Workforce Transformation from BT
Doug Tonner
A context for thinking about Workforce Transformation - combination of Flexible Working, Mobilising Working Practices and Property Services
Flexible Working
Flexibility in where and when people work,
enabling an organisation to efficiently meet fluctuating
customer demands and staffing requirements.
Mobilising Working Practices
The ability to work and conduct business
processes more effectively through mobile technology
Property Services
Balancing future demand with current estate to deliver value through
regeneration, refurbishment, acquisition, disposal and management.
In today’s business environment work is something you do, not somewhere you go.
The rewards to be gained by changing the way your organisation works – costs, culture, social responsibilities
• Property rationalisation and more efficient management of property
• Increased employee retention through benefit provision
• Absenteeism
• Increased productivity
• Customer focus
• Carbon Footprint Reduction
Managing the change is the single largest barrier for Workforce Transformation projects
• Compliance
• HR and other policies
• Employee buy-in
• Progression
• On-going support
Considerations for implementing Flexible Working
• Culture of “presenteeism”
• The broadband myth
• Cost of implementation
BT’s Business Composition and some background on Workforce Transformation in BT
• Female – 27% of total workforce and 21% of managers
• 2% employees with disability
• 7.9% ethnic backgrounds (7.1% of population)
• Average age 40
• 10% part time
• 70% of staff adopt one of more kinds of Flexible Working and that it’s a
key attraction for our employees.
BT’s Workforce Transformation benefits
30% reduction in Office Running Costs
300,000 less face to faceMeetings (£25m per annum)
£500m per annum savings
11,600 ContractedHomeworkers
70,000 Flexible Workers
20% Productivity Increase
63% reduction in Absenteeism
99% return from maternity(UK average 47%, saving £5m)
Employer of Choice for Graduates
Work/Life Balance, DiversityEmpowerment
Key Recruitment & Retentiontool
Disaster Avoidance
60% reduction on CO2
Transformed Culture and Focus
1.5m return journeys saved
Saved BT people 1,800 yearsCommuting, every year
Desk/Room Booking in over 150 buildings across 22 countries
Workforce Transformation is one of the few initiatives thatcan deliver cost reduction, enable culture change and
help meet social responsibilities
- while simultaneously supporting your staff and your customers
Workforce Transformation within BT has resulted in the following benefits
• Reduced Absenteeism –
– half national average –3.07% in 2002 – National average 7-9%.
• Reduced Staff turnover –
– 5.2% staff turnover – low in national terms.
– 99% of women employed by BT return to work following maternity leave –
national average is 46%
• Performance
– 15-30% productivity increase (20% boost) eg. from reduced commute time
• Space Utilisation / Cost savings
– Employees to desks ratio in BT across all buildings now averages 3:1
– BT Centre – our London headquarters sees 10,000 people using it’s facilities
every day, and yet has only 1,500 workstations
BT benefits continued……
• Positive experience for employees
– Reduced commute costs estimated saving – 124 / 170 miles in rail commute,
90 miles per week in car miles – equating to approx £1,000 per annum per
employee
• Environmental Benefits
– Saving 12million litres of fuel per year and associated CO2 emissions
• Resilience against emergency
– A level of business continuity
• Positive knock on impact in business compliance –
– simplifying and electronically enabling the organisation to work more effectively
• Training
– 70% of BT training can now be delivered on line and can be accommodated
within a normal working day
Areas of focus for HR to ensure best practice
Managing implementation, communication and support:
– Approx. 70% CIPD members surveyed believe operational pressure is a very important constraint on implementing flexible working practices*
– Concerns about line managers’ ability to manage individuals working more flexibly and their attitudes to flexible working also emerge as problem areas*
– 45% of survey respondents say line managers report difficulties implementing flexible working practices*
– Senior-level support and the prevailing organisational culture are also areas which often need to be addressed.
– Compliance has become an issue which needs to be resolved in organisations with people working flexibly, particularly home workers
*CIPD Survey of HR Professionals February 2005
How can BT help Aberdeenshire Council?
• Compliance with relevant legislation for non office-based workers
• Support and guidance for managers of flexible workers
• Design and implementation of comprehensive culture change programmes
• Incorporating flexible working into organisational strategies
• Develop the business case to deliver organisation-wide returns
• Provide and maintain all equipment for home based workers, including desks, chairs, monitors, keyboards and stationery supplies
• Centralise administration through a secure hosted website linked to your intranet
• Identify and provide all the tools and technology your employees need to effectively do the job in and out of the office
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