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Why is smarter working - smarter?

Written by: Kirsten Hemingway

Article Overview: So what is so smart about smarter working?

Why is smarter working - smarter?

According to WorkwiseUK, smarter working can take a number of forms, some very simple, with few cost implications, through to full organisation-wide workflow reviews. It can apply to any business or organisation, from large multinational companies and the public sector right down to small business and the self-employed.

Flexible Working

The small step of enabling staff to come in or leave at different times, if adopted by enough companies, would 'stagger' the rush hour spreading it out and making it less intense, reducing road congestion and overcrowding on public transport, reducing travel time and making it a less stressful part of the day for everyone.

Home Working

Encouraging staff to work from more convenient locations such as from home or whilst on the move could significantly enhance productivity, reduce travelling time and improve quality of life. Even providing access to satellite offices, hot desks or other facilities more strategically located could reduce travelling distance and time further. Technology has an important role to play in facilitating smarter working practices. Although the latest advances in mobile technology and the continuing widespread growth in the adoption of broadband is enabling these practices to be implemented, smarter working is not just about technology: it is also about changing culture, changing the way people work and giving them the skills to work smarter. Remote Working

Another approach to reducing travel distances and time is remote working. This is where an employee works on the move, reducing the need to come into the office. This could be working from satellite offices or other 'hot desking' solutions, working from business centres or internet cafes, or even working from the car (whilst stationary!) with the latest mobile communications technology.The traditional working week of nine to five, Monday to Friday is becoming increasingly a thing of the past and is proving inadequate in meeting the demands of modern day business practices.

Kirsten Hemingway Arnold says ‘Companies stubbornly adhering rigidly to the concept that all employees should be in the office between nine and five are not only alienating a large percentage of the potential workforce, but missing out on extensive expertise, skills and knowledge. There are many women out there with the skills to help advance companies aspirations, but due to their decision to start a family they are forced out of these traditionally run companies. A company that embraces the concept of flexible/home-working will gain a notable advantage in the employment marketplace. Furthermore they are absorbing higher overheads in office-space than if they exploited the home-working marketplace that her company can provide access to. Ultimately, those overheads in the current market-place could be the difference between survival and closure.'

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Article Tags: adoption, business centres, desks, different times, internet cafes, mobile communications technology, mobile technology, monday to friday, multinational companies, overcrowding, public sector, public transport, quality of life, road congestion, rush hour, satellite offices, travel distances, travel time, workflow reviews, working practices



Related Forum Posts
Re: The man with the idea makes million $$ - Hi ideasuniversity, Can you share with us some of the things you do to work smarter rather than harder? At the end of the day, even a smart person can't possibly know how to do everything without help, so I feel that "working smarter" is all about recruiting the right human capital.
Thinking Smarter - Hi Beat, Thanks for your reply. I agree 100%. We need to actually think smarter, instead of working harder. True living isn't wearing ourselves out by pushing and shoving. We can't produce our best work when we are exhausted either. I find that if I really let go of my preconceived ideas and open up to the possibility of new ideas coming to me, my creativity begins to flow. This is where I really make far more progress. Here's to working smarter instead of harder! Warmly, Tami
How to you re-fresh yourself? - Productive time improvement is about increasing the time that you, your staff or your organisation has available for front-line service delivery; and making sure that time is being used to best effect - "working smarter" by: - doing the right things - (eliminate unnecessary work) - the right way - (use standard, streamlined processes) - with the right people - (right skills, availability, location) - using the right tools and equipment. But we all will agree that somewhere we don't follow these and give ourselves a break. When I give myself a break, I a. play online games b. chat on Internet c. Listen to some soft music What you do when you are not "working smarter"?
Re: The man with the idea makes million $$ - Kevin,you are right. We need human capital to work smarter. I outsource majority of my business. I come up with solid ideas and pay people to make it work. I recently came up with some ecourses idea, I pay a good writer $250 dollars to write them. You will not believe how good and professional the materials are. Now I am setting up a membership website where member will pay $497 per annum to be a member. And guess what? All the website design, the sales letter, the articles and the SEO are going to be outsourced. This is how to work smarter not harder
Re: We Won 2nd Place! - Congrats! Sounds fun. And those kids must be a lot smarter than me!


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