Flexible & mobile working

Improving employee wellbeing and ROI

The concept of work / life balance triggered a surge of interest in ‘flexible’ or ‘mobile’ working. Yet the advantages of this practice go far beyond employee wellbeing.

Organisations that have introduced flexible working policies are already reaping a range of benefits. These include cost savings (for example, through better use of office space), improved productivity, improved staff motivation and better retention rates - a key factor for organisations looking to relocate as a result of the Lyon’s report.

Access all areas

To enable employees to work remotely, the initial focus for any organisation must be its basic communications infrastructure. Staff should be able to access the LAN (Local Area Network) and all its applications wherever they are, whenever they want.

Deployment of a Virtual Private Network ( VPN ) is proving a popular solution, offering all the benefits of a private network - secure, cost effective connectivity between offices and computers - but without the cost of installing and managing private network infrastructure.

Today’s IP-based VPNs offer the added benefit of carrying both voice and data over a single, converged network infrastructure and deliver increased flexibility in managing moves and changes through ‘plug-and-play’ IP handsets.

Thanks to companies like ntl:Telewest Business, Virtual Private Networking technology has now matured into a business class service and IPVPNs are being adopted across the public sector with spectacular results. For example, greater data sharing across secure VPNs enables health trusts and hospitals to exchange patient information to improve the speed and quality of treatment; schools and universities can share expertise via videoconferencing; and social workers and police work together seamlessly.

Our comprehensive suite of communications products is designed to suit the requirements of any organisation - and the needs of individual employees. Solutions range from dial-up and broadband connections for homeworkers, through to advanced communications networks linking multiple organisations.

We're also driving mobility through the incorporation of wireless functionality into existing LAN infrastructure. For example, in schools, mobile technology can extend communications beyond the IT suite into additional buildings and even temporary classrooms.

Many of our customers are benefiting from high speed, cost effective and scalable Ethernet technology, through our Metro Ethernet VPN solution. This allows creation of multiple online communities within a single integrated infrastructure. For instance, a local authority could have one private community linking all government bodies, another for its libraries and one for schools. In this respect, Metro Ethernet VPN opens the door to multi-layered collaborative working and information sharing in the public sector.

Citizen connections

Today’s high speed communications can also transform delivery of public services. For example, as local government strives to meet citizen expectations within the context of 24x7 seamless service, extending existing call centre facilities has become vital. An IP-based contact centre can do just this, offering advanced call handling functionality to link agents in a variety of offices or even at home, and present the appearance of a single centre that can be reached day or night.

Selecting a supplier

Choosing a supplier shouldn’t just be about technical expertise. Successful transition to a more flexible working environment is reliant on best-of-breed technology, but it also requires a significant culture shift.

As such, choosing a service provider that will provide consultative support throughout the period of implementation, and offer a fully managed service beyond it, will have a dramatic impact on ROI and ultimately how successful flexible working will be throughout the organisation.