Flexible Working

Flexible working has been available at the discretion of employers across South Yorkshire for years, but since the launch of the Government approved initiative for all employees – one local company is seeing an influx in demand for flexible working solutions.

Last month, The Government made flexible working requests a legal right for any employee that has worked for a company for more than 26 weeks rather than just priority for parents and carers. This means that more people are opting to work from home.

KAT Communications Ltd t/a Knowledge About Telecoms based in Doncaster has seen an increase of 300% in enquiries into the best systems to implement for flexible working to ensure productivity and efficiency isn’t affected no matter where an employee is based.

The telecoms specialists launched its Hosted Video Conferencing solution for businesses just before the legislation was released and it has been inundated with installation requests, the company also offers cloud based phone systems and servers that can be accessed from anywhere.

Technological advances have enabled working practices to change for the better.  At Knowledge About Telecoms they can enable employees to achieve an ‘in office’ experience from anywhere on any device. New business management approaches allowing a more flexible workforce is helping reduce cost bases and has allowed organisations to better manage their time.

Other flexible working advantages for businesses include an increase in bottom line profit (a recent survey shows of those businesses who have implemented flexible working practices 83% reported an increase in productivity), customer service, staff productivity and morale and staff retention as well as a reduction in energy and travel costs, property related costs and staff absenteeism.

Anthony Temperton from Knowledge About Telecoms stated “We have been approached by business owners who want to implement a smarter and flexible working model into the business but want to ensure regular contact is made with their team but are not convinced that voice only conference calls are the best way to keep in touch.

“After speaking with our partners and by launching a hosted video conferencing solution it means you not only get face-to-face contact wherever you are in the world but you can also share and view documents, presentations and applications within the virtual conference room.

“The ability to be able to run a successful business with staff based on talent and not on location is key in this ever changing business world.

“Gone are the days of having to be in the office 9am – 5pm and then spending time commuting. Instead new technology is enabling business owners and employees to work smarter and still be able to remain in contact with colleagues, suppliers and customers – whenever and wherever they are.”