differentdimensionThe multi-generational workforce challenge

Flexible boss buyer’s guide: PART ONE

Issue 4June 2015

AnalysisCase study: Plantronics on a pioneering flex journey

OpinionRigid ‘command and control’ work culture must be replaced with trust

ProfilePensions minister Ros Altmann on essential flexibility for older workers

flexible working news, views and best practice

workplace theatreThe interactive way to tackle organisational issues

National Grid in bid to enhance its flexibility offering

2 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

PUBLISHERHGS Media

EDITORIALEditor: Heather Greig-Smith Phone: 07717 456 339 Email: heather@flexibleboss.com

CONTRIBUTORSFeatures: Gabriella Józwiak Design: Christian GillihamProduction: Heather Mellis

ADVERTISINGFor advertising and sponsorship opportunities contact:Commercial director: Adam Cox Phone: 07825 295 222 Email: adam@flexibleboss.com

CIRCULATIONc37,000

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS Flickr:backpackphotographyshaunsgrimepicsplantronicsgermany125838394@N0722746515@N02the-cbileehaywoodcriminalintent

COPYRIGHTFlexible Boss is published quarterly by HGS Media. No part of this publication can be reproduced without the written permission of the publisher. Flexible Boss takes all care to ensure information is correct at time of publication, but the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of any information contained in the text or advertisements. Views expressed are not necessarily endorsed by the publisher or editor.

DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS

Universal issueDifferent generations have different workplace needs, but flexibility is a common theme when it comes to managing the multi-generational workforce effectively

We should all be paying

close attention to the fate

of the multi-generational

workforce and progress towards age

diversity. Getting older is universal.

Caring for partners, parents,

children and grandchildren

while keeping working will be an

increasingly common challenge. We

will also be working longer to pay for

much longer periods of old age, and

many of us will relish and embrace

that opportunity.

Age diversity at work can be

effectively tackled with flexibility and

workforce agility. It also offers greater

balance to the flexibility debate, for

it is not about a specific group – such

as the parents of young children – but

everyone. We are all potentially future

carers, people who will need to be

cared for and people who might like

or need to phase their retirement. The

issue of the ageing population raises

big economic questions for individuals,

businesses and government.

In this issue, the new pensions

minister Ros Altmann tells us

why flexibility is so important for

older workers, the economy and

businesses. Previously older workers

business champion for the coalition

government, she argued that more

cross-departmental support is needed

in government for this agenda when

she published a report on the subject

in March. Now she is in a position to

make change happen.

On a practical level, what should

employers be doing to tackle some of

the challenges and opportunities of

the age-diverse workforce? Our expert

columnists turn their attention to

that very issue, and on pp16-18

Gabriella Józwiak takes a look at

some who are leading the field in this

regard, such as Marks & Spencer and

McDonald’s. One size doesn’t fit all and

the most successful will need to adapt.

Also in this issue, we publish part

one of the Flexible Boss Buyer’s Guide.

Many of you are charged with making

radical changes and forging new

paths in your workplaces. The guide is

designed to help shine a light on some

of the companies that can help. In this

issue we cover video conferencing,

time & attendance and co-working.

Many thanks to our sponsors and

supporters. Enjoy the issue!

Heather Greig-Smith

Editor, FlExiblE boss

flexible working news, views and best practice

Video Conferencing for the Flexible Worker.

Lifesize Cloud video conferencing enables the flexible workforce to be connected to the office everywhere they go, on any device.

Work from wherever you need to get business done via your laptop, tablet or mobile device. With Lifesize Cloud you can stay connected and maximize your productivity, no matter where you happen to be.

WWW.LIFESIZE.COM/CLOUD

ANDY NOLAN VP UK, IRELAND & NORTHERN EUROPE

12TH FLOOR, THE BROADGATE TOWER | 20 PRIMROSE STREET | LONDON | EC2A 2EW | UK

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Contact us for your complimentary demonstration and FREE 14-day trial.

© 2015 Lifesize, a division of Logitech. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. Lifesize is the registered trademark or trademark of Logitech. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

ADVERTORIAL

Enhancing HR systems

for monitoring working hours, lone

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lieu, and study leave etc.

While the mainstream HR systems

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provides a whole new range of

capabilities.

Etarmis can be integrated into

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interface to SAP, Oracle, MidlandHR,

Access, Opera, Ceridian and many

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following ways:

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• Configurable for any complex

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• Manage an unlimited number of

working patterns

• Provides time recording, flexitime

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As many of our customers have seen,

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of working patterns. This provides a

platform for flexible working, enabling

the organisation to build and support a

more diverse workforce.

There is plenty of research

published that provides

real insight into improving

productivity and employee motivation.

Benefits include improvements in

staff retention, less absenteeism, more

motivated staff, higher productivity,

better customer service levels, and

improved innovation (employee

engagement).

The new Shared Parental Leave

(SPL) legislation offers additional

advantages to employers, in that it

better enables them to retain female

employees and provide improved

career opportunities for women.

However, SPL is a highly complex

process and qualifying employees have

the legal right to choose to take it, so

there is no way around it. In a recent

survey 80% of employers expressed

concern about how to plan for SPL,

which given that most HR and Payroll

systems are not yet equipped to deal

with it, is not surprising.

As well as updating your policies

and procedures to comply with

the new legislation, you will also

need to upgrade your systems. By

implementing a flexible working

system you can adapt your systems as

the business evolves, and manage any

combination of work patterns, shifts

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Etarmis from hfx has been specially

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top of new flexible working legislation,

including Shared Parental Leave.

Etarmis integrates seamlessly into

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enabling you to manage SPL requests,

record ‘notice of intention’, ascertain

employee SPL entitlements and

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compliances proactively, including

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FLEXIBLE WORKING IS A HIGHLY VALUED STAFF BENEFIT WHICH IS ACTUALLY VERY EASY TO MANAGE – GIVEN THE RIGHT SYSTEMS. PASKI MATARAZZO, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR AT HFX, EXPLAINS.

4 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

www.flexibleboss.com June 2015: Flexible Boss 5

More...

6NewsFirms must drop out-dated views on flexible working, says CBI; Lloyds pilots phased retirement; workplace will be ‘luxury’ in 2040.

10ResearchBosses need diverse teams to go digital; home work can drive down costly commuting; Gen Y not grabbed by work-life balance.

11AnalysisNational Grid has long offered flexibility. Now it plans to power ahead even further.

32OpinionsFive takes on the impact of age diversity, and how employers should react.

44Workplace theatreCould this interactive approach solve staff issues and boost team engagement?

E-newsClick to subscribeFree monthly bulletins

CONTENTS

ContentsThis issue: we focus on the multi-generational workforce with features and expert comment on how to cater for employees of all ages. Plus, part one of the Flexible Boss Buyer’s Guide

Profile: Ros AltmannThe newly-appointed pensions minister tells Heather

Greig-Smith a flexible workplace will help change attitudes

towards older workers and enable them to work for longer.

FB Buyer’s Guide, part oneWe look at collaborative technology and ask why some firms

are reluctant to embrace it, plus we highlight suppliers in the

video conferencing, co-working, and time & attendance sectors.

Feel the (white) noiseHeadset firm Plantronics has mixed its technical expertise

with a flexible approach. We hear how plugging staff into

smart working has boosted engagement and cut costs.

Generation gameModern workforces will have to cope with age diversity and

help employees contribute and thrive at all stages of their

career. Choice and flexibility are key, finds Gabriella Józwiak.

Incentives take flightWorkAngel founder Jamie True discusses his game changing

approach to staff benefits, peer recognition and corporate

social networking.

12

21

40

16

38

NEWS

LLOYDS Banking Group is piloting a staged retirement and retired affiliates

programme to retain skills in its small business lending department.

Speaking at the Working Families annual conference, diversity and inclusion

director Fiona Cannon (pictured) said many regional managers in the department

are coming to retirement and there is a huge issue of how to replace the expertise

of people making lending decisions for businesses of up to £25m. “Customers

know and like these people, plus there is a big regulatory pressure on having the

right skills in the right jobs – particularly when it comes to lending to SMEs.”

Cannon said the department had not defined the problem as an older workers

issue, but that the answer has been to offer those close to retiring greater agility.

Staged retirement allows managers to job share with younger colleagues to

mentor them and pass on skills and experience. Others who are retiring are being

recruited to come back on a consultancy basis and fill in at peak times.

“We have about 50 people on that programme at the moment,” said Cannon.

“It is so incredibly successful. We have already increased our customer service

levels and lending. It has been an absolute business benefit as well as increasing

employee engagement.

“The regional managers couldn’t believe they were being offered this as an

opportunity. Because of the crash, a lot of them had enough and wanted to go, but

this has reinvigorated them.”

Lloyds pilots phased retirement

6 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

“We have already increased customer service levels and lending”

‘Outdated views threaten success’BUSINESSES and government need to

work together to transform outdated

views of flexible working, according to

CBI deputy director-general Katja Hall.

She called on organisations to

abandon systems of management

based on “counting jackets at desks”

and instead manage on outcomes.

Hall told delegates at last month’s

Working Families annual conference

that it was “disappointing” that all

political parties pitched flexibility as

“win-lose” in the general election.

“I reject that. I think flexibility is a

win-win, but it’s not an easy win to

harness,” said Hall.

One of the key issues is that of line

manager resistance and lack of skills.

“There are good signs that firms are

starting to get it, but when it comes

to implementation, old-fashioned

attitudes die hard. Having a successful

flexible working culture requires

managers to have different skills sets

than we have been used to.”

Hall added that the first step is to

move away from the view that flexible

working is a favour to employees

and called for bosses to adopt a

presumption in favour of flexibility at

the stage of advertising for jobs: “Most

jobs being created are full-time jobs.”

Changes in technology mean the

world of work is changing, she said.

“Having a physical presence at work

is no longer as important as it was

before. Businesses face an important

choice: they can work with employees

to make the most of flexibility or risk

becoming uncompetitive.”

However, Hall said it is important for

individuals and companies to invest in

skills throughout their working lives.

Working Families chief executive

Sarah Jackson said that the new

government needs to be encouraged to

“talk the talk and walk the walk” when

it comes to flexibility. “There is not

going to be employment legislation.

To make it work we’re going to

need strong messages from the new

business ministers and employment

organisations about the value of

flexibility being a two-way street.”

She added that policies alone are

not enough to encourage individuals

to adopt the flexibility they require.

“When the leaders don’t walk the

walk then people don’t believe what’s

available to them.”

Katja Hall: CBI

NEWS

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 7

Movement fights shy of retiringA collaborative movement dedicated to

creating a society without age barriers

has produced 22 suggestions for

immediate action, including six under

the theme of work and employability.

Age of no Retirement is composed of

employers, policymakers, innovators,

designers, academics and individuals.

In April 300 people met in Manchester

to work on the 22 ‘prototypes’ which

include suggestions such as toolkits for

the multi-generational workforce, age

champions, and a ‘Flexifund’ to enable

workers to prepare for life transitions.

In total, 780 people and 300 groups

have participated in events in London

and Manchester. Voting is now taking

place on which of the prototypes

should be prioritised.

Call for sedentary work to take back seatEmployers should encourage office

workers to spend time standing

and regularly break up seated

work, according to a statement by

an international group of experts

published in the British Journal of

Sports Medicine.

Commissioned by Public Health

England and community interest

company Active Working, the

statement said much of the evidence

that a sedentary lifestyle damages

health is based on observational and

retrospective studies, which make it

difficult to prove direct cause.

However, it added: “While longer-

term intervention studies are required,

the level of consistent evidence

accumulated, and the public health

context of rising chronic diseases,

suggest initial guidelines are justified.”

Those working in offices spend 65%-

75% of their working hours sitting,

of which more than 50% is ‘sustained

sitting’. Active Working recommends

two hours daily of standing and

light walking during working hours,

eventually progressing to four hours

for all desk-based workers. Breaking

up seated work with standing work

can be achieved using sit-stand desks

that change height. However, it notes

that prolonged standing can also be

harmful and should be avoided.

“The evidence is clearly emerging

that a first ‘behavioural’ step could

be simply to get people standing and

moving more frequently as part of

their working day,” it said.

Men reluctant to ask for shared leaveAlmost a third (31%) of men do

not think their manager would be

understanding if they asked for shared

parental leave (SPL), research by law

firm Slater and Gordon has said.

In addition, more than 20% of the

1,000 men questioned thought their

colleagues would make fun of them.

SPL allows parents to split leave after

the birth or adoption of a child.

The research found that 47% of men

wanted to have a quarter share of

parental leave and 37% would like to

share time off equally. However, 21%

thought doing this would mean they

would be overlooked for promotion.

Julie Morris, head of the Slater and

Gordon employment department,

said the regulations are a step in the

right direction, but cultural change is

necessary to make men more confident

about asking for SPL, and that shared

parental pay will need to increase.

She said: “Men clearly want to share

in parental leave, but many fear that

this will have a negative effect on

their standing in the office or hamper

their career prospects. A stigma is

likely to exist and a cultural shift will

need to happen for men to not feel

embarrassed about asking their boss.”

Video technology boosts healthcare Healthcare providers in the US and UK

are using video technology to increase

the number of patients they can treat

and the reach of their services.

Speaking at an event hosted by

video conferencing provider Polycom,

speech therapist Veronica Southern

said she is using high-quality video

links to assess swallowing in post-

stroke patients in nursing homes in the

north west of England.

“We can link with the nurses and

deliver an assessment in 30 minutes,”

she said. “It would have taken 90

minutes to go out on a home visit.

“We are building capacity and

sharing the benefits of that with other

departments, getting podiatry and

end-of-life care involved. I anticipate

a big impact.”

Speaking to Flexible Boss, Southern

added that the technology opens up

work flexibility to staff members.

Meanwhile, Ed Spencer, director of

telepsychiatry at the South Carolina

Department of Health, said using video

is allowing mental health professionals

to reach isolated areas of the state.

He said in the past five years they

have conducted 20,851 long-distance

consultations, resulting in a 53%

reduction in the length of hospital stay

and a 48% rate of discharge the same

day, saving $1,400 per episode of care.

ADVERTORIAL

Work trends to watch

interactions. Even when we meet

face-to-face we organise our meeting

with email, diary invites to our

smartphones, content sharing during

video conferencing and instant

messaging the last details before the

meeting. Beyond this, our physical

spaces are becoming more connected.

We can tap into our networks via

our physical surroundings through

voice activation and gesture control.

By incorporating the digital into the

physical it means that the business can

incorporate every interaction into its

CRM and ultimately its sales funnel.

Data is king

This is because of the 50 billion

connected devices and objects in the

world that digitise every interaction,

action and reaction. Big data analysis

is reaching the point where this

data is converted into meaningful

information that people expect to be

able to use. In an enterprise context,

this means your business leaders will

expect this information to be delivered

to them in a digestible format. The

data you harvest from your connected

intelligence should become business

insight which is fed back into the

functions to hone their processes and

improve productivity.

Problems will be opportunities

Technology is going to be the biggest

driver of change. Business leaders,

particularly the CIO, can and should

plan for the future workplace now.

By thinking ahead and understanding

how emerging technologies can

integrate into business process, they

will be productive, not disruptive.

In the past, workplace predictions

often focused on the sci-fi and

fantastical, with images of

hover-cars and jet packs. Now, the

proliferation and uptake of modern

technologies means that the workplace

of the near future can be predicted

much more accurately. Businesses,

and in particular the CIO, can begin to

plan for and design their work spaces

around future requirements.

When designing the workplace of

the future there are five key shifts in

for CIOs to keep in mind.

Video’s new value

Phone calls and emails are no longer

enough to run an efficient and

productive operation. Everyone, from

your employees to your partners and

customers, is becoming more familiar

with a range of communications

technologies. The average person uses

Skype or FaceTime in their personal

life, so they are familiar with the

benefits of face-to-face communication

in this way. The CIO needs to ensure

that video is an equal option within

the unified communications mix, and

that it is incorporated into business

processes as voice and email are.

The future is not a place

Technology is having the biggest

impact on our working practices;

particularly technologies that

can be accessed from anywhere

such as cloud. New and improved

collaboration tools are making it

possible to conduct ad-hoc meetings

anywhere, anytime. The rapid

evolution of data networks means that

the quality of these communications

on smartphones and tablets is more

than sufficient for enterprise VoIP and

video conferencing apps. The meeting

room of the future will also no longer

necessarily be a physical location.

The physical and digital are merging

The way we conduct business is

now a hybrid of physical and digital

THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE IS AN EVER-SHIFTING CONCEPT AND CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICERS MUST KEEP FIVE KEY THINGS IN MIND, SAYS TIM STONE, AN EMEA VICE-PRESIDENT AT UNIFIED COMMUNICATIONS EXPERT POLYCOM

8 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 9

NEWS

HIGH-PERFORMING men may be faking 80-hour work weeks, according to

research by a Boston academic.

Erin Reid, assistant professor of organisation behaviour at Boston University’s

Questrom School of Business, interviewed 100 people at a global consulting

firm with a strong US presence. She found that 60-80 hour working weeks were

commonplace and individuals had little control over when and where they work.

Reid said female workers were expected to find balancing work and family

difficult and were often given formal accommodations but marginalised in the firm

as a result. Writing in the Harvard Business Review, she said: “In contrast, many

men found unobtrusive, under-the-radar ways to alter the structure of their work

(such as cultivating mostly local clients, or building alliances with other colleagues),

such that they could work predictable schedules in the 50 to 60 hour range. In doing

so, they were able to work far less than those who fully devoted themselves to

work, and had greater control over when and where those hours were worked, yet

were able to “pass” as ideal workers, evading penalties for their noncompliance.”

Reid added that men who asked for the accommodations offered to women for

family reasons found themselves marginalised and penalised.

Men ‘fake’ 80-hour work weeks

“Many found under-the-radar ways to alter the structure of work”

Workplace will be 2040 ‘luxury’KNOWLEDGE workers 25 years from

now will be in control of how, where

and when they work, according to a

report by technology and industrial

multinational Johnson Controls.

Smart Workplace 2040, produced

by the company’s Global WorkPlace

Solutions (GWS) business, envisages

a world in which personal choice

dictates individual working patterns

and staff have access to a range of

co-working facilities near their homes.

It says campus locations that offer a

mix of facilities will be the norm, while

access to a “trophy workplace” will be

a “luxury” and “reward” that provides

an “outstanding experience”. GWS

predicts most workers will be self-

employed, and facilities will be multi-

purpose and offer a mix of leisure,

work and wellness.

The report says a “concerted

response” is required from property,

facilities, workplace and HR functions

to ensure that businesses are fully

prepared for the changes ahead.

Workers will demand adaptable,

radical working patterns where there

are no set hours as long as the work

is done. “A typical day may include

a blend of mobile productivity;

virtual, holographic and face-to-face

collaboration; offline time and quality

time at home,” says the report.

The report’s author, GWS director

of global workplace innovation Dr

Marie Puybaraud, said: “In 2040 we

will consume space, not own it, so the

@Smart WorkspaceMeeting and collaborating:High performance collaboration

@Warp workspace Mobile collaboration:

Whilst using comfortable, connected public transport

@Faraday BistroIsolation time: Focus space, offline for quiet productivity

@CoworkingCollaboration hub: To drive enterprise competitiveness

@pHiveWorking on the move:

Maintaining a high-performance

workflow and staying productive as you move

@Eco WorkplaceThe trophy workspace:A highly networked, campus-based HQ

@HiveThe home enviroment:

Winding down and quality time

9097

b051

5

THE RISE OF THEWORKSPACE CONSUMERIntroducing a future world of work in 2040 where the next generation of knowledge workers, working in ‘digirati’ organizations, are totally in control of where, how and when they work.

SMART WORKPLACE 2040

For Nina and millions of other ‘digirati’ employees, work is something you do, not a place you commute to.

For Nina, no two days are the same…

NINA, THE 2040 EMPLOYEENINA, THE 2040 EMPLOYEE

Nina is a workspace consumer: she has a high degree of choice of workspaces and chooses from a complex model of easily accessible locations:

IDENTITYEXPERIENCEINTUITIVENESS

FLUIDITYCHOICE

CARE

CORPORATE REAL ESTATE AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT WILL NEED TO ADAPT FOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF ‘DIGIRATI’ EMPLOYEES

ADAPTSERVICE DELIVERY MODELS

REDEFINEREAL ESTATE MODELS

REDESIGNWORKING ENVIRONMENTS

DIGITIZESERVICE DELIVERY AND

SUPPORT SERVICES

GLOBAL WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS

Download a full copy of the Smart Workplace 2040 report from on.jci.com/SW2040#SW2040 @GWSworkplace

report envisions how this will affect

the everyday life of an employee

and businesses. The findings have

implications for leaders and real

estate managers around the world as

they anticipate the way our society

and technology is changing and

transforming the way we work.”

The report was peer reviewed in US,

Europe, and Asia-Pacific workshops.

10 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

RESEARCH ROUND-UP

Bosses ‘must build digital workplaces’Businesses must build diverse, digitally savvy teams that can inspire flexible, agile

ways of working if they are to become truly digital themselves, Accenture has said.

Interviewing 500 European business leaders and surveying 2,500 employees, the

consultancy found 78% of business leaders expect their organisations to be digital

in the next three years but only one in five would describe their business that way

now, and few are taking specific actions to prepare their staff for a digital future.

While employee resistance and a lack of digital skills are seen as a barrier, the

report said employees are keen to embrace change. “Digital will play to different

strengths in different people,” said Céline Laurenceau, managing director,

Accenture Strategy. “The millennial generation may be more tech savvy, but older

workers may be better attuned to new forms of collaboration, management and

the provision of training. Employers need to ensure digital talent strategies take

these differences into account as they transform their workforces.”

Home work drives down costly commuteAlmost a third of UK workers are paying more than 5% of their salary in

commuting costs, according to research by flexible workspace provider Regus.

It surveyed 4,000 business people across the UK and found that the average

proportion of pay spent on commuting is now 4%, a rise from 3% in 2010.

Meanwhile, 11% of respondents are spending more than a tenth of their pay on

their commute. The cost and the wasted time are leading many to seek flexibility.

Richard Morris, Regus UK chief executive, said offering employees the chance

to work from home at least one day a week could make a huge difference to their

experience of work and enable organisations to retain talented staff for longer.

He said: “Businesses that want to retain and attract top talent cannot fail to

address the issue of the costly commute. Flexible working can provide a solution.

Staff that spend less time stuck in traffic jams or on crowded trains have more

time to apply themselves to the job in hand.”

Work-life balance fails to grab Gen Y

Millennials do not place high importance on improved work-life balance when

considering a new job, according to research by recruiter Robert Walters.

It said only 15% of millennial workers feel improving their work-life balance

is important, with respondents instead reporting salary (25%), a more fulfilling

job (25%) and better career development opportunities (20%) as key drivers.

Technology is also important to them, with 53% more likely to accept a job if the

employer uses the same technology they do.

However, the report said this does not mean that millennials do not value work-

life balance. “On the contrary, 90% of millennials surveyed regard policies that

encourage a good work-life balance as one of the best things about their job. While

good work-life balance is important to ensure job satisfaction among millennials

once they are employed, it is not an effective strategy to recruit them.”

Research: latest news

www.flexibleboss.com June 2015: Flexible Boss 11

one has asked to work flexibly and I

bet it’s not because they don’t want to.

I am monitoring zero request [areas]

because zero requests seems wrong.”

Like many organisations, National

Grid has to consider multi-generational

diversity, but its high number of older

male engineers means dealing with an

ageing workforce is a particular issue.

“People are not going to stop working

abruptly,” says Langley. “We’re starting

to look at flexible [phased] retirement

and dialling down work – perhaps

working as a mentor or coach.”

He believes the single biggest issue

is talent. “We are facing a really

interesting challenge: our employees

are 20 years older than the UK average

– our average age is 47 and in the

field force, just under 50. Many are on

defined benefit pensions and they will

leave when those pensions kick in –

there is no incentive for them to stay.

“What can we do to gain a

competitive advantage to compete for

talent? We needed to pull a number

of different levers and this has been a

fundamental part of that change.”

Powerful moves to boost flexibility

The change in legislation last

year to allow anyone to request

flexible working after 26 weeks’

employment service was barely noticed

at gas and electricity operator National

Grid. “We paid it no attention because

we’d already said that everybody could

request flexible working,” says Simon

Langley, the firm’s UK head of inclusion

and diversity.

National Grid employs 9,000 people

in the UK – many of whom have

formal or informal flexible working

agreements. Flexible workers are

represented across every level of the

business bar field engineers, and of

250 flexible working requests received

over a two-year period, 248 have been

accepted. The company’s approach

is a default ‘yes’ to requests – the

onus being on managers to give valid

reasons for refusal and applicants to

build a business case.

Speaking at the Working Families

annual conference in May, Langley

says the business benefits are clear:

“The evidence is that if you offer

flexible working you see an uptick

across a whole range of measures.”

This is neatly demonstrated by the

multinational’s employee engagement

survey, completed by 20,000 of its

25,000 global workers earlier this year.

Segmented for part-time, full-time,

flexible and shift workers, it shows

the most positive responses came

from flexible workers. They reported

greater work-life satisfaction and

more positive views of management,

the business and their place within

it, than full-time, non-flexible peers.

By contrast, those without flexibility –

the shift workers – were consistently

more negative. “We can see there is a

real business benefit [to flexibility],”

says Langley. “In the areas where we

prohibit flexibility we can definitely

see a difference in performance.”

The company is now focusing on

enhancing agile working in areas that

are less obviously open to it. “We are

trying to create more flexibility,” he

says. “For example, emergency repair

teams. People in the gas business are

doing some very creative thinking

about how they can achieve that.

“We have a number of posts that

I thought couldn’t be done flexibly,

particularly in our operational areas,

but union reps know some people who

are working flexibly there. People come

up with creative solutions – it’s about

giving them permission to do that.”

This becomes more important as

work changes and employees seek

more autonomy, Langley says. Cloud

computing and collaboration tools

mean virtual teams are commonplace.

This is accompanied by cultural change.

“Society is changing. We see a lot more

democratisation in the workplace.

There is less desire to be directed – it is

more about [staff] defining how they

work for themselves.”

Another well-documented issue

many organisations have to deal

with is resistance to flexible working

among line managers – something

Langley is determined to tackle. “We

have probably allowed too much line

manager discretion in this space. Some

managers say no. We know there are

hot spots in the organisation where no-

ANALYSIS

NationalGridhaslongofferedflexibleworking.HeatherGreig-Smithhearshowtheenergygiantplanstofuelimprovements

12 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

has certainly been well

received and has come

with a huge amount of

expectation from those

campaigning for change.

Her pensions expertise is

longstanding. An adviser to

the Blair government, she

campaigned over several

years – without payment –

for the 140,000 steelworkers

who lost their pensions

in 2002 when Allied Steel

and Wire failed, eventually

winning at judicial review

in 2007. She has also

campaigned for Equitable

Life policyholders and for

annuities reform, and will

now oversee and continue

the pensions reforms

started by Webb in the last

government.

Active online and in

social media, Altmann came

out against Labour in the

general election despite

Great expectations

As the coalition

government’s

business champion

for older workers, in March

economist Ros Altmann

CBE published her New

Vision for Older Workers,

calling on businesses and

government to retain,

retrain and recruit older

workers. She argued that

failure to do so will damage

organisations, individuals

and the economy.

In the lead up to the

general election, David

Cameron declared his

intention to appoint

Altmann to the House

of Lords and make her

minister for consumer

protection and financial

education if the

Conservatives retained

power. However, in the

aftermath of the election,

which saw Liberal

Democrat pensions minister

Steve Webb lose his seat,

Altmann became pensions

minister instead.

It was a development

described by Stephen

Burke, director of social

enterprise United for All

Ages, as “miraculous”.

Referring to the situation

for older workers beyond

the focus of pensions, he

added: “I suspect she will

continue to push the whole

agenda.” Indeed, one of

the recommendations in

Altmann’s older workers

report was that government

needed more cross-

departmental co-ordination

and the appointment of

a champion to drive that.

Whether an extra person

is needed to do that now

Altmann is in government

remains to be seen.

Her appointment

PROFILE

ROS ALTMANN MADE HER NAME LEADING A CRUSADE FOR WORKERS STRIPPED OF THEIR RETIREMENT POTS. NOW HOPES ARE HIGH SHE WILL APPLY THAT PASSION TO OLDER EMPLOYEES’ RIGHTS AS PENSIONS MINISTER – INCLUDING CHAMPIONING FLEXIBILITY. SHE TELLS US WHY SHE WANTS AGILE WORKING TO BE THE NORM

saying she had voted for the

party several times in the

past, writing on her blog

that Ed Miliband’s refusal

to admit it had overspent

when in government was

“astonishing”.

In her report, Altmann

highlighted the key role of

flexibility in keeping older

workers in work. Here, post

appointment, she answers

our questions on the

subject.

How important is flexible

working in helping people

work for longer?

Everyone now has the right

to request flexible working.

As older workers frequently

face barriers to remaining

in work or returning

to work – due to caring

responsibilities or health

issues – flexible working

can help them manage

these pressures. Business

also benefits by retaining

invaluable experience, so

it’s a win-win situation.

We know flexible

working is a popular option

for employees, too. A

YouGov poll commissioned

by the Department for Work

and Pensions showed that

nearly two-thirds of over

50s do not believe that

working full-time and then

stopping altogether is the

best way to retire.

CVMay 2015: Appointed to House of Lords and becomes minister for pensions

2014: Appointed business champion for older workers & awarded CBE

2010-2013: Director-general, Saga Group

2002-2007: Spearheads campaign to achieve compensation for workers who lost final salary

pensions, leading to establishment of Financial Assistance Scheme & Pension Protection Fund.

1993-2010: Becomes independent consultant specialising in pensions, savings, retirement and

investment. Advises UK Treasury on 2001 Myners Review and is policy adviser to Number 10

Policy Unit from 2001-2005

1984-1993: Works in the City for Chase Manhattan, Rothschild Asset Management and Natwest

Investment Management

Education: University College London, London School of Economics, Harvard University

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 13

As I outlined in my

report, I would like to see

a future where every older

person who wants to work,

can work; where flexible

working and phased

retirement are the accepted,

and expected, norm.

Will your older workers

and pensions agendas

cross over?

Yes, there is certainly a

cross-over. Enabling older

people to continue working,

if they wish to, could mean

higher lifetime incomes

for millions. If individuals

work three years longer on

average earnings of £25,000

a year, they would earn

an extra £75,000 in their

lifetime and could have a

pension around 13% larger

to spend for the rest of

their life.

What progress have you

seen on recommendations

in your report?

It has only been 10 weeks

since the report was

released, so it is too early to

tell at this stage. However,

this issue remains a priority

and the new government

will be looking at this

carefully.

How can you get

organisations to really

accept older workers and

cater to their needs?

Some of these stereotypes

are ingrained in our

culture, so they won’t go

away overnight, but we

must continue to challenge

out-dated images presented

to us: road signs which

show ageing people bent

over a walking stick, and

television and newspaper

pieces presenting pictures

of elderly people when

referring to those in

their fifties, need to be

re-thought.

Many companies are

already recognising the

business case for retaining

older workers. Businesses

must look at the facts

and plan for an ageing

workforce. Increasing

numbers are becoming

more open-minded to

recruiting and training older

staff, as well as considering

flexible working.

To some extent, of course,

older workers themselves

internalise the social norms

and write themselves

off because they reach a

certain age. I would hope

that they will aim to learn

and develop, so their skills

remain relevant in the

workplace. They could also

consider flexible working,

to accommodate other

demands in their lives, such

as caring for others.

What about those who are

not pursuing the agenda?

Demographics show that

14 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

by 2022, there will be

3.7 million more people

aged between 50 and state

pension age, yet 0.7 million

fewer people aged 16 to 49.

So we can’t afford to ignore

our ageing population.

Businesses face being

disadvantaged if they don’t

consider their older staff

adequately. Not only could

they miss out on the wealth

of experience that older

workers bring, but they also

risk losing a large chunk

of their workforce – and

valuable skills – over a

short period of time.

It is also worth making

the point that younger

people’s employment

prospects also rise as

employment rates of older

people increase. The fallacy

that older workers steal

younger workers’ jobs is

harmful to the economy.

There is not a fixed number

of jobs.

Keeping more older

people in work helps to

increase their incomes and

gives them more money

to spend – and an increase

in spending power leads

to more jobs being created

overall. Conversely, if more

older people stop work, they

will have lower spending

power and ultimately

there will be fewer jobs for

younger people.

There are sound business

reasons for employing an

age-diverse workforce. For

example, older workers

can improve customer

satisfaction and appeal to

an ageing customer base.

What can be done to

ensure that line managers

are not a barrier?

As I outlined in my report,

preparing line managers

is key. I recommend that

all managers should be

trained in supervising older

workers and age-diverse

teams – and promote

healthy ageing and flexible

working.

I dedicate a section to

women, in which I detail

the particular impact that

menopause can have on

women in the workplace.

This is a health condition

that can be difficult for

some to cope with – and

could affect a woman’s

performance at work. I

believe that line-managers

should be trained in dealing

with such matters, and

approach all medical issues

seriously and sensitively.

More support networks

and accommodation for

particular needs can help

women stay in work when

they might otherwise feel

they have to leave.

There is a need to educate

managers in the importance

of retaining older workers’

skills, and the benefits of

continuing to offer training

and development to

employees of all ages. There

is a potentially negative

impact on their business

if they do not appreciate

the wealth of experience

an older worker can bring.

Encouraging line managers

to think about the ‘3 Rs’ of

retaining, retraining, and

recruiting older, as well as

younger, staff is part of the

answer.

How do you avoid

flexibility for older

workers being seen as an

accommodation?

Flexible working and its

benefits for young families

are well known, but there is

more we can do to promote

its use for older workers.

Evidence shows that

employers who fail to

retain their older workers

are losing important skills

from their workforce –

and the premature loss of

older workers can lead to

loss of output and higher

recruitment costs.

Keeping more older

people in the workforce

will be crucial to meet

future labour demand. It

is therefore important that

attitudes towards older

workers evolve to meet that

challenge – and a flexible

workplace is a move in the

right direction.

Employers can find practical

suggestions for effectively

managing an older

workforce in the recently

launched DWP toolkit at

ageactionalliance.org/

employer-toolkit

It is important that attitudes towards older workers evolve and a flexible workplace is a move in the right direction

PROFILE

Retire in 5 6 1o years

Join Our

HR WEBINAR:

The Ageing

Workforce Debate:

The challenges of an

ageing workforce

Thursday 18th June

X X

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RESEARCH What do working carers need & what do

employers provide?

EMPLOYEE

WEBINAR

Invite your working

carers to join us for

our free webinar:

Caring & Your Career

Tuesday 2nd July

Facing up to the challenges of an ageing workforceOver the next decade, the changing age profile of the workforce will be the most significant development in the labour market.

By 2020 a third of the UK workforce will be over 50.

Health policies, supporting employees’ responsibilities as carers, aspirations as grandparents, flexible working and evolving job roles all need be taken into consideration.

To access our helpful resources CLICK on the postits below

16 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

The variety of generations

populating the workforce has

never been broader. Almost half

of baby boomers plan to keep working

beyond age 65, while 13% want to

remain employed into their 70s,

according to professional services firm

Deloitte. At the same time, twenty-

something graduates are entering

employment with different skills,

values and habits, forcing employers

to redesign workspaces and practices.

Some workplaces now operate through

a 50-year age range, but is this half-

century a business opportunity or a

problem?

Employment analysts use several

labels to differentiate workforce

cohorts by age. Studies have also set

out to map common characteristics

of these groups. In January 2012, a

report published by business leaders’

campaign group The B Team and

charity Virgin Unite summed up the

most common definitions.

Defining priorities

It described workers aged 70 and

above as ‘veterans’ or ‘traditionalists’.

They want to be rewarded for loyalty

and experience and will work beyond

retirement if they receive more

flexible hours. Those in their 50s to

late 60s, the ‘baby boomers’, want

to be rewarded for long hours and

prefer workplace authorities to make

decisions.

The middle group is ‘Generation

X’, ranging from late 30s to late

40s. The study describes this sub-

section as giving work-life balance

the highest priority. They like to be

challenged, have responsibility for

their own personal development, work

flexibly and are loyal to people, not

organisations.

Next, the study identified ‘the

‘millennials’ or ‘Generation Y’. Perhaps

the most talked-about in terms of

their impact on workplace practices, it

suggested this group of 20 to 30-year-

olds blur lines between work and

personal life. They have shaken up

employment structures by demanding

empowerment, greater responsibility

and more fun. They find traditional

Generation gameWITH DEFAULT RETIREMENT ABOLISHED, MODERN WORKFORCES CAN COMPRISE EVERY STAGE OF LIFE FROM TEENS TO GREAT GRANDPARENTS – AND ONE STYLE OF WORKING WON’T SUIT ALL. FOR EMPLOYERS STRUGGLING WITH AGE DIVERSITY, CHOICE AND FLEXIBILITY CAN HELP ALL STAFF FIT IN, FINDS GABRIELLA JÓZWIAK

DIVERSITY

Flexible Boss: June 2015 17

benefits packages unattractive, with

many staying with employers for less

than three years.

Finally, the report describes

first-jobbers in their late teens as

‘Generation Z’ or ‘digital natives’.

Representing a generation brought

up alongside new technologies,

they prefer to communicate via

social media, want direct access to

decision-makers, and like Gen Y will

change jobs frequently.

The millennials have caught

employers’ attention because

they are typically hard to attract

and retain, but vital for business.

Research published by professional

services firm PwC in 2011 argued

that although more numerous

than the baby boomer generation

– millennials will form 50% of the

global workforce by 2020 – they also

remain in short supply in parts of

the world with lower birth rates.

Millennial needs

PwC partner Michael Rendell, who

led the research, says pressure is

rising on employers to respond to

millennials’ needs. PwC found they

value work-life balance more than

financial reward, and see learning

and development as their first choice

benefit.

Rendell advises employers to

customise workplace training and

development to ensure all employees

access the learning they want.

“Build experiences where people

can learn at the pace and in the way

that is most effective for them, as

we’re used to in our non-working

life,” he suggests. “You will fail

as an organisation if you are not

able to offer a good developmental

experience for this current

millennial generation.”

Rendell says developmental

experience is also more important

to millennials than flexible working,

which they expect as the norm

rather than an extra. “But you never

get the developmental conversation

going unless you’ve ticked the

flexibility box,” he adds.

Despite employers’ awareness of age

divisions and stereotypes, inclusion

and diversity expert Charlotte

Sweeney says too few take age and

multi-generations seriously. She argues

that siloing staff by their date of birth

is too simplistic, and advises employers

to take a whole-picture approach to

design workplace procedures that

meet everybody’s needs.

“We need to think about diversity

in life stages,” says Sweeney. “You can

have somebody at the age of 30 in the

workplace experiencing being a parent

for the first time, but also have a guy

in his late 50s having a second family.

It’s not necessarily purely about age.”

Like Rendell, Sweeney suggests the

way to manage a diverse workforce is

by offering choice. This is particularly

important when deciding what

benefits to provide. Sweeney describes

how larger employers have sought

to encourage work-life balance by

offering on-site services such as

crèches, gyms or dry cleaners. But

firms should not expect all employees

to relish such investments. “That will

really appeal to some people – for

others it’s their idea of a living hell,”

she says. “The younger generation

especially want to have more choice

rather than being told what to do.”

Sweeney also advises employers to

design flexible working practices to

suit all age groups. “Younger people

will want to know what level of

flexibility they’re going to have in the

role before they decide to take it,” she

suggests. “They will want to know

what technology is available and how

they’re going to communicate with

friends and colleagues. But you also

have to be clear that if people prefer

to work a structured nine-to-five at

a desk, that’s fine. Flexible working

shouldn’t force a different way of

working on to everybody.”

Tailored to suit

Vodafone UK head of enterprise

services Tony Bailey agrees that

employers should beware of

introducing workplace practices to

suit younger staff that may isolate

older workers. “Employers still need

to attract and retain the best talent,

regardless of generation,” he says. “It

isn’t about forcing all generations to

work in the ‘millennial’ way – mobile

and hyper-connected – but instead

about implementing ways of working

that suit your business, customers and

employees.”

In 2009 Vodafone managers began

reorganising the company’s physical

working environment. “Private offices

and permanent workspaces have been

replaced with shared workspaces and

informal meeting spaces to foster a

more collaborative environment,”

says Bailey. “Employees are provided

with the tools they need, whether

that’s a laptop and/or mobile device,

depending on their role and function.”

He says this transition was partly

driven by the need to attract and

retain Generation Y employees.

“We will often partner young participants with older, more experienced store members”

DIVERSITY

Tanith Dodge: Marks & Spencer

However, the company wanted to

make all its employees’ working lives

“easier”. About half of Vodafone’s

workforce are aged between 30 and

49. Generation Z and millennials

compose about a third, and baby

boomers and veterans represent 13%.

“Our different way of working also

allows all generations to achieve a

better work-life balance,” says Bailey.

Bailey admits that implementing the

changes was challenging. The remote

nature of work has increased pressure

on the company’s IT managers and

data security procedures. However,

the benefits include a 30% reduction

in company real estate, 20% increased

workforce productivity, and “millions”

saved on property, energy and travel.

At McDonald’s, the workforce is

heavily weighted towards Generation

Z and millennials, with about 70% of

its 100,000-strong staff falling into this

bracket. But HR director Lisa Jones

says the fast-food company is aware

it must appeal to its 1,000 employees

aged 60 and above. “Our research

shows the restaurants with a blend of

older and younger employees operate

more efficiently and have a much

higher customer service satisfaction

rate than other restaurants,” she says.

Flexibility for all ages

All McDonald’s employees are offered

flexible hours, which Jones says

suits different workers for different

reasons. For older workers this might

be to phase into semi-retirement

or continue caring responsibilities.

For younger workers it could help

with childcare responsibilities. The

company even has one 90-year-old

employee who does two shifts a week.

“Many of our older workers aren’t

ready to settle down into retirement

and want part-time work to help them

earn a little extra cash to spend on

their grandchildren,” says Jones.

The company encourages transfer

of skills between the generations, in

particular when introducing new

technology and equipment. This

intergenerational strategy is also

used by Marks & Spencer, which

buddies older and younger workers

in its employability programme, an

initiative that offers people facing

barriers to employment a work

placement in the company’s stores.

“We will often partner young

participants with older, more

experienced store members,” says

Marks & Spencer HR director Tanith

Dodge. “It’s great for the young

participants as they gain a new

perspective and find working with

an experienced member of staff a

confidence boost.”

M&S’s workforce comprises 32% of

employees aged over 50, 20% under 25

and 7% older than 61 – a composition

that reflects its customer base, says

Dodge. She says multi-generational

workforces need not be challenging

as long as employers communicate

effectively with all staff: “We tackle

this through a number of channels: we

run quarterly employee pulse surveys

to get feedback on the issues that

matter to all our employees and this is

supported by in-store listening groups

and conversations via our internal

social network Yammer.”

Generational diversity also has an

impact on recruitment. Seb O’Connell,

executive vice-president and managing

director for Europe with recruitment

services company Cielo, says the broad

spectrum of employees means his

team has changed the way it engages

with recruits of different ages.

“People from a baby boomer or

Generation X really want to talk to

people,” he explains. “They may search

and find jobs, but they will have more

of an alignment with dealing with a

recruiter and be talked through a role

earlier in the process. Millennials are

happier to head a bit further along

using technology before they actually

start talking to someone.”

He agrees that offering flexible

workplace practices is key for all age

groups and urges firms to change their

policies if they want to attract and

retain top talent. “People are willing

to trade elements of pay to get better

flexibility right across the board.”

“Many of our older workers aren’t ready to settle down into retirement ”

18 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

DIVERSITY

Job Design for Flexible Working™ Methodology

The Job Design for Flexible Working Methodology™ has been translated into four core “bite sized” learning modules for HR, Resourcing, Hiring Managers and Employees, plus an online toolkit in support of the modules outlined: Flexible Working Role Evaluation MethodologyThis 90 minute session provides an introduction to the methodology to establish which flexible working patterns will work for a role and which will not. We go through the process step-by-step and delegates will leave with a better understanding of the key factors to be considered when designing a role for flexibility or managing a flexible working request.

Evaluating Your Role for Flexible WorkingThis 90 minute session for employees provides an overview of the principles of the methodology to help individuals establish which flexible working patterns will work for their role and which will not. Individuals will leave with a clear concept of the critical factors to be considered when putting together a request for flexible working.

Flexible Working Job Design, Influencing and ImplementingHR and Resourcing Practitioners will spend 90 minutes exploring the common barriers and objections to flexible working and how to overcome them. We consider how best to provide genuine flexible opportunities to attract and retain a more diverse pool of talent. We explore the most effective ways to communicate the methodology internally and maximise the impact for the wider business.

Flexible Working, Messaging and ManagingA 90 minute session for hiring managers on how best to communicate and manage flexible working. We identify common misconceptions and objections and how to overcome them, as well as the importance of “positioning” the arrangement successfully within the team. We introduce guiding principles for flexible working and the key considerations for managing expectations and performance.

Online Guide to Job Design for Flexible WorkingGuidelines and a pre-recorded webinar, which introduces flexible working and the importance of job design, considers the options available and provides an overview of a step-by-step role evaluation. This is supported by a set of supporting documents including a role evaluation template, step-by-step example and “Top Tips”. This resource is designed to be hosted internally, providing a permanent resource that can be accessed by employees, HR, resourcing and hiring managers as and when the need arises.

For further information please contact Sara Hill, onsara.hill@capabilityjaneconsulting.com or sara.hill@alexmann.com

Agile Working – Matching Resources to Priorities

Today, the public sector is facing increasing pressure to do more with less, and specifically to manage with a smaller workforce. These expectations, coupled with the need to offer rewarding career paths for talented staff, have required the Treasury to become more innovative in the way it organises itself and its workforce.

Its flexible approach to the deployment of staff has been accompanied and facilitated by the introduction of more flexible IT systems and a move to desk sharing across the entire organisation, both of which are reducing costs and further embedding the culture of flexible working to meet business needs.

How the Treasury is responding to the situation specifically

Flexible working has brought significant benefits to the Treasury and involves three distinct but inter-related practices:

Flexible working within Groups: The Treasury is organised into Director-led groups of around 50-80 people as its main business unit; each group comprises a number of smaller teams, led by Deputy Directors.

Within their groups, Directors and Deputy Directors are expected to find flexible solutions to new pressures as they emerge. Directors will then discuss with colleagues to ascertain where resources can sensibly be reprioritised between groups. This flexibility, which does not require any central sign-off or approval beyond the level of the group, may involve a reallocation of staff time for a period of days, weeks or months, and occurs on a regular or ad hoc basis.

Strategic Projects Pool: Around 2% of the workforce belong to a strategic projects pool and are deployed across the organisation to support the delivery of core strategic priorities. This innovation helps the Treasury respond to new pressures (for example: LIBOR reform, responding to the Heseltine Report) and strategic challenges. It also enables the organisation to strengthen project working skills across the department and provides people with an exposure to multiple different parts of the organisation, broadening their skills and knowledge.

Crisis contingency: Up to 40 staff belong to a financial crisis contingency reserve, formed of staff who have worked on financial stability and related matters since the start of the financial crisis in 2008 but have since moved on to other areas. In the event of a renewed financial/banking crisis, this gives the Treasury a pool of people it can immediately draw on with relevant skills and expertise to bolster the standing teams – for as short or as long as required.

agilefutureforum.co.uk

Moving to an agile way of working can be a complex and daunting undertaking for organisations of all sizes. Knowing where to start and who can help you is the first

step. Here we have singled out three of the areas that companies looking to change their approach may need to consider.

In the pages ahead you’ll find information on vendors in the video conferencing, time & attendance and office space sectors, plus their tips on how to modernise your way of working and ensure your organisation is fit for the future. Special thanks to our section sponsors Polycom, HfX and Neardesk.Heather Greig-Smith, Editor.

Welcome to the Flexible Boss Buyer’s Guide: Part One

Sponsored by

B U Y E R ’ SG U I D E

P a r t O n e

flexible working news, views and best practice

22 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

The march of millennials into the

workplace is being accompanied

by higher expectations of

collaborative technology – and greater

comfort using it. No longer a novelty

or a luxury, seamless collaboration

is seen as a basic utility. But not all

organisations are on board with

this brave new world, and those

uncomfortable with video calls and

unwilling to embrace communication

beyond telephone and email may find

themselves left behind.

In a recent survey, more than three

quarters (77%) of UK employees

told communications software

provider Unify that tools such as

instant messaging, video links, phone

conferencing, and screen-sharing and

web-collaboration technology are vital

for their daily work with colleagues

and clients. The 1,500 knowledge

workers polled were aged between

16 and 55. However, almost four in

every five (79%) were experiencing

technology frustrations at work – a

figure Unify says shows businesses

have a lot further to go in aiding the

productivity of their teams.

Growing influence

UK workers expect the influence of

collaborative technology to grow: 62%

believe the need for these products

and services will increase significantly

in the next two years. “As firms change

the way they work from silos into

holistic all-encompassing units, so will

employee expectations about how they

engage and connect with each other,”

says Robert Keenan, Unify’s UK &

Ireland head of portfolio management.

“This isn’t confined to millennials;

employees across the age spectrum are

striving to find new ways of working

and collaborating. It’s up to the

enterprise to enable this. If they don’t,

employees will simply circumvent

enterprise tools and use consumer

applications instead, leaving you

open to security risk and worse, the

fundamental loss of productivity.”

Many of those who have been using

Frozen out?

AGILE WORKERS MAY BE AHEAD OF THE CURVE WHEN IT COMES TO EMBRACING COLLABORATIVE TOOLS SUCH AS VIDEO CONFERENCING AND DATA SHARING, BUT MANY ENTERPRISES ARE ONLY CATCHING UP AT A GLACIAL PACE. WILL FIRMS THAT FAIL TO ADAPT BE GIVEN THE COLD SHOULDER, ASKS HEATHER GREIG-SMITH

TECHNOLOGY

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 23

collaborative software extensively

find it hard to believe others do not

appreciate the benefits.

“Despite legislative change

regarding flexible working, many

organisations are still failing

to recognise the real value that

collaboration tools can provide,”

says Lifesize VP for the UK, Ireland

and Northern Europe Andy Nolan.

“Completing daily tasks has never

been more dependent on teams,

with individuals working with an

average of 10 colleagues at any one

time. Being able to communicate

regardless of time-zone, location or

device is crucial for any business

that wants to be more productive

and efficient. Businesses which

ignore the value proposition of

these tools will only run into

communication silos that fail to offer

the connected experience needed to

fuel competitive advantage.”

However, John Eary, director

of JEC Professional Services,

works extensively with the public

sector and says many of the

organisations he deals with still

prefer teleconferencing to video

communication. That doesn’t mean

audio is replacing physical meetings.

“The public sector is more 20th

century in its thinking,” he says. “An

awful lot of face-to-face meetings are

still happening.”

Putting on a show

Eary adds that often people are

uncomfortable with video when

working remotely, feeling they are

“on show” and need to be dressed

to impress. In a recent survey on

personality types and agile working

for the UK Employers Network for

Equality and Inclusion, respondents

reported that video conferencing

was not important to them. The

exception to this was the ‘influencer’

personality type, 22% of whom said

video was very important.

“It’s a comfort thing,” says Eary.

“If people are on show they are less

comfortable. What people are often

doing is talking about a document

of some kind. You can share that

document through the technology, so

the need to actually see people is not

that valuable.”

It’s a controversial point, given

how far some organisations are

pushing the use of collaboration

software and video. At the April UC

Expo in London, keynote speaker

Marianne Calder, Cisco Systems

managing director of collaboration

architecture sales for EMEA and

Russia (pictured, over), highlighted the

example of Nationwide. The building

society is rolling out the use of video

consultations to agree mortgages

with customers – resulting in a 70%

increase in sales performance and 66%

decrease in sales costs. Likewise, the

use of video by Airedale NHS doctors

and nurses for consultations with local

care homes has reduced emergency

admissions and trips to A&E.

Tim Stone, vice-president of

marketing for EMEA at video

and voice conferencing company

Polycom, agrees that video is creating

amazing transformations in some

industries, such as healthcare, where

breastfeeding clinics and diabetic care

are being delivered using tablet and

mobile devices. “That will become

more and more pervasive,” he says.

“Video is becoming the lowest common

denominator for many organisations.

Most remote employees have video.”

Donald McLaughlin, Cisco’s director

of collaboration sales in the UK and

Ireland, adds that individuals who

resist these changes will be left behind

and chief information officers need to

take the lead in driving change. “We’ll

get to the stage where people not using

it are the exception and they’ll feel left

out – they’re going to be quite lonely if

they don’t turn their video camera on,”

he says. “People don’t care what you’re

wearing. They’re much more accepting

of the fact that you have something to

contribute.”

Calder believes the next frontier in

collaboration technology development

is the dismantling of traditional

structures and hierarchies in favour of

an agile and responsive teamworking

environment. “We have pressed and

pressed individual productivity to the

very limit now and where we see the

biggest opportunity is in teamwork,”

she says. “It’s about bringing people

together and making them more

productive.

“We need to step up how we support

the new agile worker. We’ve all

started using whatever productivity

tool we’re most comfortable with and

have created a number of silos. Unless

we are all on the same tool or app,

we have a big challenge in sharing

information. We now need to allow

teams to come together to discuss,

create, share and recall.”

Maria Casu, head of marketing

for IT consultancy Portal, says many

organisations are looking for a

project-level replacement for email

communication. “Email has been a

very effective productivity tool but is

“There is a cultural dimension to communication as we are not talking in our native language”

TECHNOLOGY

Richard Ahlstrom: KNPO

also a victim of its own success, with

email overload and the formality that

goes with email,” she says.

“People want to have different kinds

of ‘conversations’. We see companies

wanting to use collaboration platforms

where email is a part of the platform

but by no means the only thing. [They

are looking for] internal blogs, wikis,

forums, informal spontaneous ways of

reaching out to different people.”

She adds that personal enjoyment

of social media is creating pressure

for employers to replicate this in the

world of work. “Email works well for

certain types of information but you

get information dead ends. Emails can

be in an inbox for years and useful

stuff is lost when someone leaves.”

Whereas five or six years ago the

real interest was in sharing files,

Casu believes we have moved on. “It’s

much more about sharing knowledge

and wisdom, such as lessons learned

or certain expertise.” All of this is

tearing down the invisible boundaries

between offices and geographies.

Casu says recruitment needs are

likely to drive organisations to be

more forward-thinking when it comes

to technology. “People are not going

to want to go backwards if they have

experienced the benefits of these

really collaborative environments.”

While video has been a huge success

for sales and marketing in the past

decade, she says we have yet to see

massive take up of video conferencing.

“We see the Facebook-style platform

becoming much more popular, where

people can write a short sentence or

two.” However, a range of tools is

needed. “I can see video becoming

more mainstream. People can use

their preferred channels.”

Security debate

One of the most frequently-cited issues

with collaborative tools is that of

security, and businesses differ on their

willingness to move from ‘on premises’

solutions to the cloud. The debate

between providers continues.

James Campanini is vice-president

and general manager for EMEA at Blue

Jeans, which allows users to connect

to its video conferencing service using

the platform of their choice. He says

ubiquity of access is the key. “We’re

seeing CEOs who will have meetings

on their iPads in Costa – they know

what they’re talking about isn’t that

sensitive.”

Matthew Finnie, chief technology

officer for network and global cloud

services platform Interoute, says

adoption is all about the ease of

simplicity. “There is no reason why

anyone should get left behind. If you

make it simple, simple, simple, then

people won’t use the phone,” he says.

Kids Non-profit Organisation (KNPO)

uses the Interoute cloud service. The

charity’s mission is to improve road

safety for children in developing

countries by distributing reflective

beads for them to wear as bracelets,

headbands and bag decorations.

Because KNPO works across borders,

video is crucial, says chairman and

founder Richard Ahlstrom. Based in

Stockholm and San Francisco, the

charity has partners and workers in

developing countries and a production

team in China. “Asia is all about video

and there is a cultural dimension to

communication as we’re not talking in

our native language,” he says, adding

there is “much better sound quality”.

John Underkoffler, chief executive

of telecollaboration systems developer

Oblong Industries, has an even more

radical vision of the future than one in

which we embrace video conferencing.

He argues that the industry needs to

make a “quantum leap” from using

devices on a personal level to screens

and devices offering “the collaboration

humans are capable of when they

don’t have computers in the way”.

His vision is of large screens that

connect and interact with all devices

so that multiple people can work on

tasks simultaneously. “You should not

be held to the tyranny of the fixed

boundary of the screen,” he says.

Perhaps video conferencing is child’s

play compared with what may be

coming next.

“We need to step up how we support the new agile worker”

24 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

TECHNOLOGY

flexible working news, views and best practice

Monthly news by emailRegister free

Video conferencing: sponsored by

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flexible working news, views and best practice

P a r t O n eUnleash the power of collaboration:video, voice and contentPolycom solutions help you unleash the power of human collaboration across any distance, device or timeline to help you not only save costs and meet your company objectives, but to create a true Workplace of the Future - today. It’s our sole focus.

More than 415,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom. We help doctors save lives, educators teach students, governments operate more efficiently, managers mentor their colleagues, executives connect with their teams, and product teams bring innovation to market faster - worldwide.

By providing you with intuitive collaboration tools that work the way your teams work - and not the other way around - we can help your workforce compete more effectively on a global scale.

Customers choose Polycom for four important reasons:

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“There is no better way to defy distance than to have a face-to-face conversation using video conferencing.” Julian Hughes, Intelligent Energy

For all sales enquiries call (0)1753 723282 or email: enquiries@polycom.com

Visit www.polycom.co.uk or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to learn more

Cloud video solution that meets the needs of managers, IT and staff

Connectivity is critical to any business. Flexible working and shared parental leave initiatives champion the right to work from home and accommodate the increasing need to empower staff to work anywhere, anytime and from any device – these needs must be addressed largely through technology. Video conferencing allows employees to engage with colleagues regardless of their location to maintain productivity and a seamless teamwork experience.

Lifesize Cloud is a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) video conferencing solution subscription service that is available on mobile devices, laptops and in conference rooms. It enables each employee with instant and scheduled calls, direct call and “meet-me”, single and group video, as well as voice calling. You can even join a Lifesize Cloud meeting from Skype for Business or Microsoft® Lync®.

Lifesize Cloud is recognises the needs of all the teams involved: management want a flexible, affordable video conferencing option; IT departments want something that’s easy to deploy and maintain; and employees expect to see each other on any device. “It is the most convenient, adaptable and user-friendly collaboration solution on the market,” says Andy Nolan, VP, UK, Ireland and Northern Europe.

For more information please call or email Andy Nolan on +44 7983 225295 or anolan@lifesize.com

iMeet®- Flexible all-in-one collaboration for flexible bossesiMeet all-in-one web, video and audio conferencing gives users the power to meet however and wherever they want - from a single, easy-to-use desktop, web or mobile application, or any telephone device. iMeet was designed to have the industry’s most elegant and appealing user interface, to be the most intuitive and enjoyable way to meet online.

› Web, video and audio conferencing – all in one application › Connect and collaborate with up to 125 people› High-definition video – all from the webcam or video conferencing

room› No software downloads for guests› Personalised, consistent URL› Start and join meetings with one click› iMeet calls you – no need to remember dial-in numbers and passcodes› Crystal-clear, intuitive file and screen sharing› Personalised bios, pictures and social media networks› Crystal-clear, intuitive file and screen sharing› iMeet DVR records everything in the meeting – notes, chat, IM, video

and file sharing› Collaborate everywhere with mobile apps for any device› Easy scheduling with the free iMeet toolbar for Outlook

To learn how the iMeet portfolio can help your team collaborate visit pgi.com/imeet

“The only product that recognises the needs of all the teams involved: management, IT and employees.”

Andy Nolan, VP, UK, Ireland and Northern Europe

“iMeet’s engaging user experience drives richer client interactions, which is critical as Vantedge focuses on growing our business.” Read Ziegler, Vantedge Group

Time and attendance: sponsored by

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flexible working news, views and best practice

P a r t O n eEnhance HR with flexible workingFounded over 40 years ago, hfx has a proven history of developing innovative staff time management solutions. The company introduced the concept of flexible working hours in the 1970s with its Flextime® system, and has continued as a leader in the delivery of flexible working solutions.

Its flagship product, Etarmis, with its ‘one card – one solution’, incorporates:

› Access control› Photo ID› Time & attendance recording› Flexitime management› Seamless integration with major HR and payroll systems

Highly customisable, Etarmis can be configured to meet exact requirements and can support unlimited numbers of work patterns.

The complex calculations required to manage flexitime, shifts, holiday entitlements, time off in lieu and absence is beyond the capability of most HR solutions. Etarmis fills the gap in the market by interfacing with all the mainstream HR systems (such as Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft and Northgate), enabling organisations to manage flexible working, while keeping employee data synchronised across HR and payroll systems.

hfx services clients across the public and private sectors throughout the UK. High profile customers include the Home Office, Merck, Bentley Motors, Adidas, MoD, Hertsmere Borough Council, North Lanarkshire Council, Met Police & NHS Business Services Authority.

“While the mainstream HR systems may claim to offer flexible working, a specialist solution like Etarmis provides a whole new range of capabilities.”

For all sales enquiries call (0)1753 723282 or email: enquiries@polycom.com

hfx: one card, one solution.

HFX If any problems arise concerning this document, please contact Oyster Studios on +44 (0)1582 761212.

Publication: Flexible Boss

Insert Date: Buyers Guide

Copy Date: 22-05-15

Ad Size: 55x180mm

Booking Ref: HFX

Job Number: 4290

File Name: HFX_FlexibleBoss_55x180_22-05-15

Last Updated: 20-05-15

Proof Stage: 1

Approved by:

› Time & Attendance recording› Access control› Photo ID› Flexitime management› Seamless integration with major HR

and payroll systems

www.hfx.co.uk

hfx LimitedTel: 0844 335 0230 or email: sales@hfx.co.uk www.hfx.co.uk

IQTimecard solution blends scheduling, time & attendance and payroll toolsIQTimecard’s Electronic Call Monitoring solution is a unique blend of time and attendance software, scheduling tools and payroll integration. This makes it the ideal tool for businesses operating in the remote working sector; such as Home Care and Contract Cleaners. It helps to monitor the location of employees and ensure that they’re attending all client calls without the need for any equipment to be installed at the sites, as well as ensuring they’re only paid for the hours they have worked.

The automated system simplifies many time-consuming admin tasks, which can also facilitate great savings for businesses. Find more benefits here.

We already work with a wide range of clients across the country, including an award winning national homecare franchise that has been able to remove all paper timesheets and drastically reduce administration for over 3,000 members of staff.

For the many companies already working with us, the main cost benefits they have found by using our system are that all payroll costs are exact and the cost implications of overpayments of income tax and NIC when an employee leaves the company have been eradicated.

Contact: David Lynes david.lynes@uniqueiq.co.uk0800 88 6868 www.iqtimecard.com

Mitrefinch – HR systems and much more!

Mitrefinch offers a cost-effective route to bigger profits through better business efficiency. Our solutions are fully customised to accommodate the working patterns and work rules of your business. Mitrefinch TMS (Time management system) will save you vital management time and reduce administration costs – giving your business a razor sharp competitive edge.

Mitrefinch specialise in the development of Workforce Management and Time and Attendance Solutions. Our solutions enable organisations to better measure, analyse and manage employees’ working time and deploy human resources more effectively. Used by over 4,000 organisations around the world, across a broad range of industries, our clients are benefiting every day from improvements to HR operations powered by Mitrefinch. The companies we help benefit from improved payroll accuracy, reduced payroll costs, more efficient payroll administration, superior planning and control of employee schedules and jobs, plus accurate on-site reporting for Workplace Health & Safety requirements. Don’t hesitate to get in touch and see how Mitrefinch can help you save time and money in your company.

For more information: 0845 619 0070, www.mitrefinch.co.uk sales@mitrefinch.co.uk

“Both your Time & Attendance and HR systems have helped reduce our paperwork greatly.”Walkers Shortbread

“We’ve been able to double the number of caregivers we employ without worrying about the huge increase in back office costs.” Sally Clough, owner, Home Instead Sutton Coldfield

Co-working: sponsored by

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flexible working news, views and best practice

P a r t O n eScrap the commute with pay-as-you-go hot desks and meeting spaces NearDesk provides access to hot desks and meeting rooms at hundreds of locations across the UK. Finding a space near you is easy with the NearDesk App and, using a contactless payment NearDesk card, just tap in and tap out to only pay for what you use.

Our “who’s here now” software lets you see and connect with other NearDesk users in the same space, adding valuable networking opportunities to your day.

A simple solution for companies and individuals when working at home or in public spaces is not the answer to being at your most productive:

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Join now at NearDesk.com using code ‘flexibleboss’ or contact us at team@neardesk.com to find out more and discuss how we can help your business.

“Traditional ways of working are in flux. Employees want flexibility in when and where they work and employers must respond to retain and recruit the best.”

For all sales enquiries call (0)1753 723282 or email: enquiries@polycom.com

www.neardesk.comhttp://mobile-app.neardesk.com

The ultimate work experienceUber Office is the shared working environment for entrepreneurs and small teams. Situated a 2 minute walk from London Victoria Station, we have worked tirelessly to build a strong sense of community between our members and always encourage collaboration. Working as a team is key!

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UberOffice.comLizzie Rae: lizzie@uberoffice.com 0203 397 7975

Regus business lounges offer global reachRegus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workspace with a global footprint spanning 104 countries. Regus business lounges can be accessed by purchasing pay-as-you-go access priced at £5 per hour or £10 per day or by purchasing Regus Businessworld membership. Businessworld is the world’s largest membership programme giving access to flexible workspace. Businessworld Gold membership gives unlimited drop-in business lounge access for just £49 per month nationally. Business lounges are used by business travellers, those who need to fit in some work whilst on the move and local, flexible or home-based workers seeking a more professional option to working from home or in a coffee shop. Typical features of a Regus business lounge include free wifi, free refreshments, individual workstations with privacy screens (called Thinkpods), comfy seats with laptop rests, a ‘business bar’ with iMac and phone chargers. Business Stations within the lounges offer self-service paid-for services such as cloud-based printing and scanning, and other admin services are available from reception. The company is also rolling out Regus Express, a new generation of workplaces designed for co-working and productive meetings outside of a traditional office environment, such as in motorway service areas or retail parks. Access is included in Businessworld membership. For more information visit www.regus.co.uk

“Businessworld is the world’s largest membership programme giving access to flexible workspace.”

“Uber office has professional appeal, yet also expresses great creative personality, which always seems to excite my clients.”N Carter, Appy Monkey

32 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

PARTNER OPINION

with work. Supporting

staff childcare needs can

reduce the conflict between

work and family: research

by Working Families and

the relationship guidance

charity OnePlusOne

showed that those who

reported higher personal

relationship quality

also reported higher

engagement with work,

while on the flipside,

heightened work stress can

have a negative impact on

family life.

Employees who have

greater engagement with

work have been shown

to be more focused, less

distracted and to display

greater initiative, which

in turn can have a positive

impact on the bottom line.

It has been found that an

engaged employee delivers

43% more than one who is

merely present.

A further business

benefit of childcare support

for working parents

is that it facilitates the

advancement of women

at work. Many employers

still report difficulties with

Childcare support pays off

“Supporting working parents with childcare can offer real benefits in terms of productivity”

Sarah JackSon, chief executive

Working Families

Despite a series of

welcome political

initiatives and

considerable public

investment, too many

working parents find their

decision about whether to

work, and for how many

hours, constrained or

even dictated by the local

availability of affordable

childcare. And that decision

is even more challenging

for single parents, those

working atypical hours,

parents of disabled

children, and those living

in rural areas.

We need to work towards

a system that delivers

good-quality, affordable

childcare to all working

parents when they need

it, while at the same time

protecting and enhancing

the well-being of our

children.

Working parents and

the government cannot

tackle this challenge

alone: there is a clear

role for employers when

discussing the issues and

the solutions. Supporting

working parents with

childcare can offer real

benefits for employers in

terms of both productivity

and engagement, which

we explore in our new

publication Employers

Guide to Childcare,

produced with nursery

network Bright Horizons.

Some form of childcare

support offered as part of

a benefits package can be a

competitive differentiator

when it comes to attracting

staff. Employers offering

such support can widen the

pool of talented individuals

they recruit from.

In terms of retaining

talented staff, parents – and

increasingly, grandparents

– who are offered help

with balancing their work

and care responsibilities

have been shown to value

their employer more, and

consequently are less likely

to move on to a role with a

competitor.

Better support in the

workplace can also

contribute to healthier

relationships at home,

which in turn boosts

employees’ ability to engage

attracting, retaining and

promoting women because

they struggle to fit their

roles around childcare. A

broader set of policies and

benefits around childcare

could enable employers to

retain women at crucial

points in their career,

ensuring they continue to

move up the career ladder.

Some initial investment

may be required to support

employees with their

childcare needs, but there

is a long-term pay-off in

terms of engagement,

retention and productivity

– and it’s hard to put a price

on that.

PARTNER OPINION

Some organisations have

embraced the possibilities

of more agile ways of work

brilliantly. Others have not.

Agile working must

ultimately be about better

performance. It’s about

happier, more engaged

employees working better

and more productively and

the business benefiting

from the results. Wherever

you fit into the multi-

generational spectrum,

you might appreciate some

flexibility. The business has

to treat everyone the same.

The working grandparent is

just as keen to play a role in

their grandchildren’s lives

as the 22-year-old aspiring

canoeist is to try and fulfil

his Olympic ambitions.

And third, it’s about

making sure that benefits

help everyone. Different

benefits will obviously

appeal at different stages

of life and the career cycle,

and understanding some

of the challenges your

employees face is key.

For example, if you offer

emergency childcare on a

subsidised basis, why not

Keep pieces equal in age jigsaw

“If you offer subsidised emergency childcare, why not offer eldercare support as well?”

Ben Black, Director

My Family Care

Suddenly everyone is

talking about multi-

generational human

resources polices. Why has

it become an issue? It’s all

about demographics and

the changing nature of

work.

Thanks to modern

medicine, healthier

lifestyles and the glorious

NHS, the average life

expectancy is on an ever-

upward trajectory. And as

we live longer, so we are

working longer: 30% of the

UK workforce is already

over 50 and that figure is

rising. Pension ages will

continue to be pushed up.

Most of us need to carry on

working in any case. And

we’re a pretty loyal bunch:

why wouldn’t we stay with

an employer where we’re

appreciated and supported

and we have an impact?

We’re also having

children later. Professional

parents are now typically

four years older than they

were 30 years ago. Older

mothers and fathers equal

more senior working

parents to whom it is even

more vital to offer a bit of

flexibility. In addition, our

parents are living longer

and often require help.

There are now six million

working carers, with the

numbers rising inexorably.

Then there is the fact that

Generation Y is arriving

into the wonderful world

of work with all kinds of

different expectations

and aspirations about

the boundaries between

personal career paths.

Put all that together and

you have to feel a degree

of sympathy for our hard-

pressed HR departments. Of

course, multi-generational

policies and approaches

are needed, but it’s not the

easiest challenge out there.

There are three parts to

the jigsaw for employers.

The first piece is cultural:

ensuring the organisation

understands the challenge.

Getting different age groups

to talk and share their

different, but often similar,

life-work complications can

work wonders.

The second piece to put

in place is flexible working.

offer eldercare support

as well? Why should the

employee who has to

pick up his mother from

hospital not be supported

in the same way as the dad

who’s stressed because

conjunctivitis stops

his daughter attending

daycare? We are about to

introduce various working

grandparent resources for

our clients.

And what about the star

performer whose favourite

labrador is on its last legs?

Don’t they need to be

treated the same? We’re

not there with petcare yet,

but it may well happen.

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 33

34 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

PARTNER OPINION

cohort in the workforce,

but tapping into this

group also creates

opportunities for older

staff whose relevance in

your organisation might

otherwise be dwindling:

we need to retain these

experienced people to

help millennials develop.

We are seeing reciprocal

mentor programmes being

implemented for this very

reason. It is a smart tactic.

Your ability to offer

flexible environments

that appeal to a multi-

generational workforce

will make a huge difference

in securing talent in this

landscape. We know efforts

to implement flexible,

part-time work and/or job

sharing will pay off, yet

many struggle to embed

commercially viable

practices. Flexible working

adoption and the ability to

make the policy a cultural

reality requires changes

in processes, capabilities

and behaviours. It needs

commitment.

With such a mix of

ages in the workforce, we

Battle plan to capture skilled staff

“Your ability to offer flexible working environments will make a huge difference in securing talent”

Aimee de CArCenAC, ConsultAnt

Alexander Mann Solutions

The war for talent

is a very different

conflict today, and

unsurprisingly demands

a tactical shift. Until now,

for many, gender diversity

has been the foremost

concern, but progressive

organisations competing

for top talent in an

increasingly talent-short

and age-diverse market are

refining their attraction

and retention strategies to

this competitive reality.

Multi-generational

diversity is another lens to

apply to today’s workforce,

and finding strategies that

work across as much of the

diverse talent spectrum

as possible really defines

competitive advantage.

The way in which people

engage with the world of

work has changed, with the

most palpable shift around

demands for agility and

flexibility. In short, flexible

working cuts across diverse

talent and all generations.

The UK employment rate

is 73.3%, the highest rate

of people in work since the

Office for National Statistics

began keeping records in

1971. The shift away from

recession has resulted in

a more candidate-driven

market – there is more

choice and opportunity,

especially for those with

niche skill sets.

Despite the prosperity

this suggests, it can be

tough for employers if you

have critical positions to

fill and not enough time

to grow your own. In

fact, 60% of all new jobs

in the 21st century will

require skills possessed by

only 20% of the current

workforce. Supporting a

growing enterprise is more

challenging than ever in

the midst of what experts

have dubbed a labour

shortage crisis.

Savvy employers engage

the full talent spectrum –

and flexible working is key.

Employers are fast learning

that the ability to attract,

engage and retain diverse

talent across generations

will support hiring needs in

a talent-short workforce.

For example, millennials

are becoming the largest

have seen organisations

neglecting clash points,

causing talented people

to jump ship for those

available opportunities

– especially as remnants

of economic decline have

eroded loyalty – but this

could be avoided: give

millennials intrinsically

meaningful work; don’t

over-coach baby boomers;

allow generation X-ers

portable careers and the

freedom they need.

When our clients adapt

their approach, especially

through operationalising

flexible working, the results

are fruitful.

OPINION

from home often delivers

the most tangible economic

benefit, neither of these

things should ever be the

main focus.

The main focus has to

be on people. And flexible

working has to first and

foremost be a “people

change” programme,

changing people’s attitudes.

It’s easy to say that we

need a programme that

puts people first, but in

my experience it’s rare

to see organisations walk

that walk: the talk is about

people; the effort is not.

Flexible working starts

with a vision of a way of

doing things so vivid that

everyone can clearly see

what is in it for them. It

needs to be owned by

someone with real passion

and fire in the gut, with

the staying power to work

through the roller-coaster

that such culture change

always delivers. It must

be rolled out across the

whole organisation, with

enthusiasm, gusto and,

if possible, joy. People

often become secondary,

We need to update attitudes

“The focus has to be on people: flexible working has to be a ‘people change’ programme”

DaviD Dunbar

Managing Director

Workmodes

It’s more than 15

years since I took

responsibility for BT’s

flexible working strategy,

and over 10 years since

I created the Workstyle

portfolio of services to help

other organisations achieve

the same results. When

I launched that service I

thought there was perhaps

two or three years before

flexible working became

something every company

did as a matter of course.

In this, as in so many

things, I was wrong.

So why am I still an

evangelist for the concept?

Many of us with a

passion for promoting agile

working are having the

same conversations with

employers now that we

were having a decade ago

– but it’s not because the

message is falling on deaf

ears, or that the benefits

are unclear. The idea is as

enthusiastically received

as it ever was, and indeed

there are organisations

that have grasped the

nettle in every sector.

But those that have made

the leap are the exception.

Firms are still struggling

to implement flexible

working. It is not for

want of trying: a lot of the

companies I talk to have

trialled it but have failed

to get the level of buy-in

needed to embed it across

the whole organisation.

It should be easier

now than it was 15 years

ago. The concepts are

more accepted, and the

technology more stable,

sophisticated, and easier to

use. So what is going on?

Part of the answer is

the focus on technology

as a driver, and property

rationalisation as a benefit.

Technology absolutely

underpins flexible working,

but the fact that I have

seen firms make a success

of flexibility for 15 years,

without recourse to current

technological advances,

demonstrates that the

lack of it has never been

a barrier. And while the

chance for a firm to make

savings by reducing its

property portfolio as a

result of more staff working

whatever the intention. It

is easy to get waylaid by

what looks difficult, and

lose sight of what actually

is difficult. People, bless

them, are difficult.

We are about to enter a

new technical revolution.

The possibilities opening

up as we shift from desktop

applications to enterprise

mobile apps are vast. That’s

before we get anywhere

near the Internet of Things,

wearables, or embedded

intelligence. It’s a great

opportunity for firms

to look again at flexible

working – but it will only

hit home if people are at

the heart of the approach.

www.workmodes.co.uk

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 35

36 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

OPINION

juggling work and childcare

responsibilities. And with

shared parental leave now

a reality, the gender gap

will continue to narrow.

Middle and senior

managers are typically

from a generation where

personal life had to

be fitted around fixed

patterns of work. For the

‘millennial’ generation of

twentysomethings, there is

an expectation that work

can be fitted around family

and other commitments. No

wonder there is a mismatch

in expectations.

If managers are

going to attract the best

young people to their

organisations and retain

them, they will have to

adapt. The rigid approach

to work will have to be

replaced by flexibility and

a willingness to let go. The

‘command and control’

culture of the 20th century

will be replaced by a

‘trust and empower’ one,

designed for the 21st.

The biggest change

of all will be the move

from managing input to

Office old guard has to evolve

“The rigid ‘command and control’ culture will be replaced by a ‘trust and empower’ one”

Peter thomson, director

Wisework

People are living

longer, so inevitably,

there will be those

prepared to work into their

twilight years. They may be

in full-time employment, or

working flexibly or running

their own businesses.

We will see 18 year olds

working alongside 80 year

olds. And such a multi-

generational workforce

presents some management

challenges.

We have always had a

spread of ages at work, so

what is it that makes this

current trend so different?

One answer is technology.

The gap between the digital

natives who have grown up

with the internet and those

who haven’t is vast.

Take social media. It has

revolutionised the way

some people communicate

with friends, family and

colleagues. They share

views, send congratulations

and celebrate achievements

without the physical

constraints of the analogue

age. It’s hardly surprising

the Facebook generation

is more comfortable than

their predecessors with

online discussion forums

and video link-ups. They

don’t see the need for a

physical presence at work

when they can achieve

their goals equally as well

by working remotely.

In contrast, many of the

older generation see social

media as a waste of time

and insist on cramming

everyone’s diaries with

inefficient face-to-face

meetings. They might

now use Skype in their

personal lives but they

still refuse to adopt video

conferencing technology in

the office. They are nervous

about remote workers’

lack of visibility and are

comfortable working in a

culture of presenteeism.

Another generational

difference is attitude

towards work-life balance.

When ‘baby boomers’ had

their children it was likely a

mother would stop work in

their younger years while

dad continued to be the

breadwinner. For today’s

couples it is more likely

that both parents will be

managing output; instead

of clocking people into the

workplace and measuring

the hours they put in at

the desk, managers will

measure the outcomes

from their work. When

and where the work

gets done will become

the responsibility of the

individual. People will be

trusted to choose how they

achieve their goals and will

be free to manage their

own work-life balance.

For the older generation

in leadership positions this

might feel like anarchy –

but if they can’t adapt to

this new world they will go

the way of the dinosaurs.

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REWARDS

Incentives take flight

When serial entrepreneur

Jamie True’s late father

Frank gave him a business

plan to reinvent the luncheon voucher,

he wasn’t initially inspired. True Snr

worked on the creation of the vouchers

in the 1950s and could see the idea was

ripe for reinvention. “I said it wasn’t

relevant, but he said that’s why he’d

given it to me,” recalls True.

True’s mobile technology background

and track record of launching, growing

and selling businesses is impressive.

He started his first business at 17 and

in 2013 sold his app development firm

Grapple to Monetise Create for £39m.

Looking for his next challenge, and

intrigued by the luncheon voucher

idea, he began speaking to people

about employee benefits. “I realised

the model was pretty poor because

it was old, unenjoyable and wasn’t

really providing any benefits. HR

teams didn’t really have the tools and

technology to drive retention.”

Fast forward two years and

WorkAngel is a mobile-first answer

to the employee retention problem.

The app offers a private company

‘Facebook’ system together with a suite

of benefits including store discounts,

cinema vouchers and restaurant offers

that sit alongside company-specific

incentives such as childcare vouchers

and healthcare policies. Employees

can track their rewards while publicly

thanking colleagues for their work

and connecting with team members.

Figures show employees are checking it

an average of three times a day, making

WITH HIS GAME-CHANGING MOBILE REWARDS AND RECOGNITION PLATFORM, JAMIE TRUE HAS TRANSFORMED THE STAFF BENEFIT SCHEME FROM ITS LUNCHEON VOUCHER ROOTS AND LEFT FIRMS HUNGRY FOR MORE. AS THE FIRST TECHNOLOGY SOLUTION TO OFFER LOCATION-AGNOSTIC EMPLOYEE RETENTION STRATEGIES, IS WORKANGEL THE ANSWER TO HR PRAYERS, ASKS HEATHER GREIG-SMITH

38 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

it a far more effective touchpoint than

traditional benefit schemes.

Ex-Tesco boss Terry Leahy has

invested in True’s company, leading

a £3.3m funding round in January. It

employs more than 50 people and its

impressive client list includes Capita,

Tesco, the BBC and Serco. In the next

few months True expects the number

of employees using the app to top

650,000.

Restaurant chain Giraffe, owned by

Tesco, uses the product. “I genuinely

believe what WorkAngel is doing in

the employee recognition and benefits

space is a game changer,” says Tesco

Hospitality reward manager Nik

Butcher. “I can’t remember ever seeing

a product that enables such creativity

in our approach to every aspect of

rewarding and engaging with our staff.”

True says it offers three crucial

elements in driving retention: a

discount and social experience that

employees love, a private company

social network where they can interact

easily, and recognition linked to the

core values of the business. He points

to Gartner research which shows that

people without a friend at work are

much more likely to leave, and says

the product can reduce staff turnover:

“Some of our clients have reduced

churn by 20%.”

One key to WorkAngel’s success, says

True, is that the rewards and social

elements sit together and are easily

accessible: “If they are all in one place,

these things get used.” In a conference

demo of the product attended by

Flexible Boss, a room full of HR and

benefits experts were impressed by the

experience – and discounts – offered.

They went away both coveting the tool

personally and considering it for their

teams. It’s no surprise staff take-up in

firms using the app is 96%. “Everybody

gets quite excited,” says True.

As it is accessible on a smartphone,

the app also offers a democratic way of

involving remote and mobile workers.

True points to engineering firm Laing

O’Rourke, one client with a mobile

workforce. “You can make people

feel they’re part of something even

if they’re not in the office,” he says.

“You can find people in the colleague

directory. It is perfectly set up for that

and we’ve got a number of companies

taking us largely for that reason.”

The product allows all workers to

recognise their peers. “The recognition

is ground-breaking for people, they

really love it. A lot of companies do

“In the past this space was a box ticking exercise – the technology was underwhelming. There is a seismic shift happening. It just isn’t good enough to give your employees stuff that is average”

REWARDS

employee of the month, but this is in

real time,” adds True.

The next step is growth. With coverage

of the UK, America and Canada already

live, True is keen to expand WorkAngel

further – describing the rest of the year

as a “land grab”. “No-one else is doing

what we’re doing in this way,” he says.

True walks over to a pipeline board

featuring a wishlist of clients’ requests

for additional functions. There are

currently 72 items. Next on the list

is the ability for line managers to

‘spot reward’ employees with gift

cards automatically delivered to their

accounts. Employee engagement

surveys, debit cards linked to Work-

Angel accounts, and detailed analytics

are all on the schedule. WorkAngel is

evidently stretching its wings.

So what explains the apparent HR

euphoria over WorkAngel’s offer and

why isn’t everyone else doing it? True

attributes the company’s success to

the user experience – a result of a

technology company turning its hand

to benefits rather than a benefits

company investing in technology.

“Executing this kind of technology

isn’t easy,” he says. “In the past HR

managers haven’t had much choice

and variety and a real platform to do

things. This space was a box ticking

exercise – the technology was always a

bit underwhelming.

“There is a seismic shift happening.

It just isn’t good enough to give your

employees stuff that is average. If you

are any kind of business, online should

be important to you.”

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 39

CASE STUDY

Feel the (white) noise

Sound is something of an obsession

at the UK headquarters of

Plantronics, the international

audio technology company that

pioneered call-centre, mobile, and

noise-cancelling headsets. The

engineers who develop the firm’s

bluetooth headsets and earphones have

a foam-lined sound chamber in the

ground floor laboratory of the Wootton

Bassett building into which they flow

different levels of noise to test the

quality of the products. When you step

inside and the door closes behind you,

it is so quiet you can hear the blood

pumping through your own body.

These days, noise is no less important

in the upstairs office space. Divided into

areas for ‘concentration, collaboration,

communication and contemplation’,

it is a masterclass in quirky design,

featuring ‘monk spaces’ where single

desks with backdrops of waterfalls and

bluebells allow individuals to have

uninterrupted work time. There are

fringed curtains, moveable meeting

pods and soft seating areas for informal

collaboration. The walls – one of which

is papered with a panoramic view of

local attraction the Avebury stone circle

– absorb sound instead of reflecting it,

and different levels of white and pink

noise are pumped into different areas.

“We’re trying to achieve a hubbub

of sound so that no one conversation

interferes with your concentration,”

says George Coffin, the firm’s real

estate manager for Europe and Africa.

“In the average office your voice will

travel 15 metres. In this office it will

HEADSET FIRM PLANTRONICS HAS MIXED ITS TECHNICAL EXPERTISE WITH A FLEXIBLE APPROACH TO CREATE A NEW WORLD OF WORK. WHILE AMBIENT SOUND SYSTEMS AID CONCENTRATION IN THE OFFICE, STAFF ARE PLUGGED INTO SMART WORK PATTERNS THAT TURN ENGAGEMENT UP TO 11. BY HEATHER GREIG-SMITH

40 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

go no further than five, except in

meeting rooms.” Ceiling tiles absorb

90% of noise instead of the customary

20%, noise-bouncing screens are used

between workers, and desks are angled

so no voice is in direct line of any other.

This attention to the minute details of

acoustics and design is part of a much

bigger change. Five years ago the firm

embarked on a programme to embed

‘smarter working’ in the business,

moving a mix of warehouses, lab space

and offices from three buildings to one.

The project united the property, IT

and HR departments – dubbed ‘Bricks,

Bytes and Behaviour’ – and resulted

in a sustained change that it rolled out

worldwide in 2012. So evangelical is

Plantronics about the benefits of this

way of working that it runs open days

for client businesses to come and see

how it works and ask advice about

their own flexibility journeys.

Coffin says there was a lightbulb

moment when the heads of IT, real

estate and HR realised they were all

separately trying to achieve similar

aims. This resulted in the three working

together on a plan that was approved

by the board in just four weeks. “Most

businesses believe smarter working

means working from home; it doesn’t,”

says Coffin. “It means you can work in

any space, any time, anywhere.”

The Smarter Working pilot began

with the Netherlands-based contact

centre team – perhaps not the obvious

choice. “We chose a really office-centric

pilot group,” says senior HR business

support manager Sarah Roxborough.

“If we were going to come across

problems it would be with them. It gave

us a much deeper understanding of the

issues that might come up.”

Some staff did not like it. “Half the

team said working from home wasn’t

“Most businesses believe smarter working means working from home. It doesn’t. It means that you can work in any space, any time, anywhere”

CASE STUDY

for them and they preferred to be in an

office environment,” says marketing

manager Clare Tibbitts. “You can’t just

decide that everybody will work from

home – some people don’t have the

facilities to do that.”

The human resources team developed

an assessment process for both the role

and employee that included assessing

home space; proposed working pattern;

impact on the company, colleagues

and customers; and equipment status.

From a 2009 base of 20%, the take-up

of flexible working in the business has

now risen to 85%.

Location dependent

Roxborough says staff have changed

their working patterns to suit location,

with many using their time working

from home for tasks that require

concentration, and collaborating more

intensively in the office. “People are

encouraged to think about what they

need to do and structure their working

week so it works better. [They need

to] look at the impact on the company,

their colleagues and systems. How

would they manage communications

with colleagues and customers?”

She adds: “We do everything on a

trial basis for three months. Then we

will make a contractual change, but it

is always in the company’s gift to take

it back if there are issues.” They have

not yet had to do this. “We have had

one person ask not to do it any more

because they found it too lonely.”

Effort has gone into developing

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 41

42 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

manager skills and teaching staff how

to set goals, “which gave managers

the confidence that they remained in

control,” says Roxborough. “We have

a quarterly set of goals, milestones

and benchmarks and our bonus and

performance system is linked to it.

People didn’t take to it straight away,

but we spent time helping managers

learn how to break down goals.”

Plantronics managers are also

becoming increasingly skilled at

ensuring staff manage their ‘lifescape’.

Roxborough says there can be a

tendency for flexible workers to

overwork, given the ability to blend

work and life and the fact that the

business operates across all time

zones, so there is always someone to

collaborate with. Managers need to

know if too many outputs are being

delivered as well as too few.

Measurable results

The results are measurable and clear.

Attrition has fallen from 12% to 2%

and absenteeism is down from 12.7%

to 0.8%. Employee surveys show 95%

of staff feel they have a better work-life

balance and employee engagement is in

the 86th percentile, compared with the

industry average of 69%.

The changes have resulted in real

estate savings of more than $400,000

(£260,000), made it easier to attract

and retain talent, and untethered staff

from the Wootton Bassett site, meaning

the firm can choose from a wider pool

of potential workers. Other benefits

include employee wellbeing, savings on

travel and fuel, improved collaboration,

and a more agile and responsive

business. The result, says Roxborough,

is a culture of empowerment. “People

take much more responsibility for their

goals and development.”

The IT savings have also been

significant as the business has moved

to unified communications, says Tony

Williams, director of IT for Europe

and Africa. Those spending three days

or more in the office have desks with

two screens, while mobile workers

can work wirelessly in a variety of

spaces. Like his HR and real estate

colleagues, Williams says the process

is complicated and requires time and

work to get it right: “Having executive

sponsorship really helps to drive the

use of UC.”

The business is saving £42,500 a

year by eliminating internal calls and

using Skype for Business instead. Using

the same tool for all external audio

conferencing is saving £50,000 a year,

and getting rid of deskphones has also

saved £50,000 annually.

When it came to replacing deskphones

with ‘softphones’ – software that allows

calls to be made via the web – a phased

approach was necessary. “It’s a big

leap of faith, even at Plantronics where

people are happy using headsets,” says

Williams.

Initially, both the PC and deskphone

would ring, so workers could pick up

either. A few months later, staff started

to report that they weren’t using the

deskphone. “After a year we reached

the tipping point where there were

more people without deskphones than

with. Since then we have taken the

deskphones away, but you really have

to bear with people if they haven’t used

headsets before,” he advises.

Williams adds that it is important

to have standard meeting room

equipment so people can quickly use

audio, video and collaborative software

no matter which country, room or

office they are working from.

Managing space

Managing the use of office space needs

careful attention, confirms Coffin. For

example, staff cannot book recurring

meetings for more than 10 weeks, and

those that are booked for this long

are monitored by the IT and facilities

teams. “The first day you don’t use it,

we write a polite email to say it is now

cancelled and you can’t book recurring

meetings for a period of time,” he says.

It is one of a set of regulations that

were drawn up at the start. “For

example, if I am in a ‘concentration

space’ you are not allowed to speak to

me, wave at me or acknowledge me.

Everyone knows and follows the rules.”

Downstairs, engineers from the

company that created the first headset

used in outer space (moonwalker

Neil Armstrong would later utter his

immortal “one small step for man”

line through a Plantronics product)

are working on intricate circuitry

and experimenting with gesture

technology. But a constant process of

experimentation and improvement in

ways of working – including current

efforts to develop training for virtual

leaders – is taking place throughout the

building and beyond. For Plantronics,

innovation doesn’t stop at the lab door.

“It’s a culture of empowerment. People take much more responsibility for their goals and development”

CASE STUDY

flexible working news, views and best practice

Are you helping to change the world of work? Let us help you reach the right audience

Flexible Boss provides independent journalism and research on flexible working in the United Kingdom and beyond. From policy to property; trans-port to technology; human resources to legal challenges, Flexible Boss is a resource for employers to come together and share best practice.

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flexible working news, views and best practice

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Line managers named as barriers to flexible working

Issue one: 6,678 page impressions

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INTERACTIVE THEATRE

Workplace dramas

Unlocking employee creativity

can enhance organisational

change and improve working

life. Interactive Theatre is a way of

helping employees release inhibitions

that prevent them from expressing

their views, and encouraging them to

engage in critical thinking.

Using theatre to dramatise the issues

and situations created by poor work

practices, inadequate skills and missed

opportunities encourages employers

and employees alike to take action.

Drama reveals all the tensions and

problems that can exist in a business,

while at the same time being fun and

captivating. As a result, people are

more likely to share ideas and have an

open mind about the need for change.

At Workplace Innovation, part of

the UK Work Organisation Network, a

not-for-profit coalition that develops

and disseminates new ways of

working, our theatre solution focuses

on organisational practices and culture

rather than individuals. It does not

involve role-play, is not intimidating,

and works for any size or type of group.

Confidential discussions with

managers and staff build a picture of

the organisation and help to ensure

that the theatre event addresses the

issues that matter. Experienced actors

then present their audience of staff

with an intriguing set of relationships,

challenges and dilemmas in a fictional

workplace not too unlike their own.

Audiences are invited to challenge

the characters about their actions,

motivations and working methods,

MANY MORE EMPLOYERS NOW RECOGNISE THAT INNOVATION REQUIRES THE CLOSE CO-OPERATION OF ALL STAFF. INTERACTIVE THEATRE IS A METHOD OF COLLECTIVE PROBLEM SOLVING THAT CAN SET THE STAGE FOR EMPLOYEE-DRIVEN CHANGE AND IMPROVED PERFORMANCE, SAYS PETER TOTTERDILL

44 Flexible Boss: June 2015 www.flexibleboss.com

and to suggest ways in which better

outcomes might be achieved. In so

doing, participants gain a unique

opportunity to reflect on their own

organisation’s practices and discover

ways improvements might be made.

The experience can address positive

opportunities for innovation as well as

long-standing problems and obstacles.

It is designed to help employees at all

levels realise they can intervene with

ideas and their voice will be heard.

One of the largest housing groups in

the UK turned to Interactive Theatre

as a way of improving performance

and customer care by developing its

200-strong management team. Orbit

Housing engaged us to deliver a series

of theatre-based seminars on effective

team leadership and staff involvement.

Actors delivered various workplace

scenarios, which were then discussed,

with the audience offering solutions.

“This kind of theatre started in order

to give a voice to frontline staff and

that’s precisely why it’s so successful,”

says Robin Reece-Crawford,

director and theatre animateur at

Workplace Innovation. “People can

see themselves, their colleagues or

a situation they have experienced,

happening right in front of them.

“Interactive Theatre offers

employees the opportunity to examine

issues within their own organisation in

a safe environment. It begins a process

of improving communications, gives

the chance for productive reflection,

and allows frontline staff to share their

practical knowledge about the business

– an often underused resource.

“This isn’t role play. We take

professional actors into organisations

to work through dilemmas, give

a voice to criticism, analyse the

situations and change them. We work

with organisations to find out what

their issues are by hearing the stories

“This isn’t role play. We take professional actors into organisations to work through dilemmas, give a voice to criticism, analyse the situations and change them”

INTERACTIVE THEATRE

of those who work there and translate

that into a full play or short scenarios.”

Jane Cousins, senior organisational

development consultant at Orbit, says

the experience has been valuable.

“We are committed to improving the

way we work by listening to our staff.

This is important to us because their

knowledge and experience is vital to

the success of the business.”

BT has used Interactive Theatre for

change management. Sharon Darwent,

head of employee engagement, says:

“During the session, actors presented

a very engaging play about a company

going through change. Between each

of the scenes, the audience could ask

the characters questions, coach them

to behave differently towards one

another, and explore what they could

do as communications professionals to

help the characters succeed. This way

of learning is hugely engaging.”

Theatre provides rich insights into

organisational life and initiates a

process of collective problem solving.

Outcomes of performances provide a

platform on which to further develop

organisational learning and plans for

collaborative action, including the

identification of negative influences on

staff motivation and workplace culture,

and their effect on performance,

recruitment and employee retention.

It can also provide a negotiated action

plan to address these issues, creating a

new and sustainable culture based in

employee-driven innovation.

Peter Totterdill is director of

Workplace Innovation

www.flexibleboss.com Flexible Boss: June 2015 45