daliben
01-10-2005, 06:27 AM
This is interesting and very motivational.
Phew, am impressed that experts predict 5 million of us will be working from home by 2007. That's a lot.
There are some points which are very useful and truetoo.
Thursday, 22 April, 2004, 11:03 GMT 12:03 UK
Working from home trend gathers pace
Analysis
By Tim Fawcett
BBC News Online business reporter
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39154000/jpg/_39154136_203businesswebsite.jpg
Experts predict 5 million of us will be working from home by 2007
A revolution in technology has at last made the work-from-home dream a reality for millions of British workers.
Teleworking, once a quirky concept, has become a realistic choice for many wanting to save time, spend more of it with their families and have more control over their work-life balance.
One year on from the introduction of new UK laws on flexible working - and during Work From Home Week in the UK - new evidence has emerged that more and more of us will soon be working away from the office.
More than 2.1 million people work from home and around 8 million spend at least some of their working week in the house instead of at the office, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
That is double the number since 1997 when ONS research in this area began.
Technology
Why this phenomenon is happening is a complex question, but top of the answer list is broadband phone connection.
It provides a high-speed way of receiving and sending data from your computer at home and has made a huge difference.
At last, office capability at home is available at a reasonable price, says Alan Denbigh, executive director at the Teleworking Association.
"With broadband, people can use the internet, check e-mails and transmit documents in the same way as they would in the office, so why be in the office.
"We've seen this strong growth in the last 6 years during a time when the conditions weren't right and legal obstacles were in the way.
"Now it is much better from a legal point of view, so I think we'll see a lot more people doing this in the future."
Buying time
Computers with the sort of processing power required to do typical work tasks at home come at a fraction of the cost compared with just a few years ago.
But it is not just the cost.
People value their time very highly and the office commute has an insatiable appetite for that precious commodity.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40066000/jpg/_40066633_homeworkingbody203.jpg
Working from home saves time and money away from the daily commute
RAC estimates of daily round trips to and from work in London are as high as 3 hours - 15 hours a week, or nearly 2 days work.
For someone on an average salary of £27,000 a year, that brings income down to almost minimum wage levels, says Alan Denbigh.
Sectors
Those working in sales and customer services are most likely to request flexible working, with nearly one fifth coming from this sector, the DTI says.
Furthermore, managers and technology-related workers work more from home than others, according to the Teleworking Association.
And as the dust continues to clear after the dot com boom and bust, e-commerce is emerging as a strong growth area.
For executives of companies that have invested heavily in this technology, like car makers, it has made the global village a mouse-click away.
Consequently, working from home has become a necessity as well as a reality for the world's top executives.
In the United States, General Motors' chief executive Richard Wagoner keeps tabs on operations in Europe and Asia by logging on to the corporate network from home using a secure and wireless Wi-Fi laptop.
Drawbacks
If you have young children, working from home is popular.
In fact, most flexi-working revolved around the children, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI found that 43% of employees requested flexible working for childcare reasons and 58% of those were women.
And as many of them can testify, working from home is not always about popping into the lounge for the odd gardening show on daytime TV or avoiding the office politics.
For those working from home there are new pressures in the home environment.
Despite the benefits of less travel and more flexibility on the downside there was a new stress of working longer hours.
Balancing work and family commitments, and the "invasion" of the work environment on the home space, counteract the benefits of more flexibility and less commuting.
All home workers with children find it difficult to balance home and work responsibilities, the ESRC survey says.
Legal framework
But help to support the needs of young families is at hand.
The Employment Act 2002 came into force on 6 April 2003 and introduced a package of so-called family friendly working rights.
Parents with children aged under the age of 6, and with disabled children aged under 18, were given the legal right to get their employers to seriously consider requests to work flexibly.
Bosses on the whole are supporting the new legal framework.
A breakdown of the DTI figures shows that for employees who requested flexible working, 77% were fully accepted by employers and in 9% of cases a compromise was reached.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are less supportive than larger ones, however.
More than three in four SMEs say flexible working directives have had no impact on their business and a whopping two thirds admitted they have no flexi-workers, an Inter-Tel survey of 300 firms found.
Furthermore, the law is not always very widely understood.
"Sixty-five per cent of adults are not aware of current legislation and 39% would be uncomfortable in mentioning working from home to their boss," says Panasonic executive Steve Wilson, referring to a survey conducted by his firm.
"Men in particular need to be more aware of their rights, and leadership is needed from the senior management of companies." insists the DTI spokesman.
Benefit to business
If the working from home phenomenon is to grow as predicted, it needs to be beneficial to both employer and employee. The picture seems mixed.
The rising cost of office space eats into company profits. One less workstation could mean one step closer towards moving to a smaller site.
In a technological world, home workers are no longer out of sight and out of mind. The boss's cursory glance across the office to check what a worker is up to can be replaced by a web cam or software that checks if you are logged in.
Office politics and gossip may not be everyone's cup of tea, but brain storming with colleagues at meetings would be considered a must by most company chiefs.
Whichever way you look at home working the advice always seems to be - it is vital that you do not see it as an easy option.
continue ... ...
Phew, am impressed that experts predict 5 million of us will be working from home by 2007. That's a lot.
There are some points which are very useful and truetoo.
Thursday, 22 April, 2004, 11:03 GMT 12:03 UK
Working from home trend gathers pace
Analysis
By Tim Fawcett
BBC News Online business reporter
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/39154000/jpg/_39154136_203businesswebsite.jpg
Experts predict 5 million of us will be working from home by 2007
A revolution in technology has at last made the work-from-home dream a reality for millions of British workers.
Teleworking, once a quirky concept, has become a realistic choice for many wanting to save time, spend more of it with their families and have more control over their work-life balance.
One year on from the introduction of new UK laws on flexible working - and during Work From Home Week in the UK - new evidence has emerged that more and more of us will soon be working away from the office.
More than 2.1 million people work from home and around 8 million spend at least some of their working week in the house instead of at the office, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
That is double the number since 1997 when ONS research in this area began.
Technology
Why this phenomenon is happening is a complex question, but top of the answer list is broadband phone connection.
It provides a high-speed way of receiving and sending data from your computer at home and has made a huge difference.
At last, office capability at home is available at a reasonable price, says Alan Denbigh, executive director at the Teleworking Association.
"With broadband, people can use the internet, check e-mails and transmit documents in the same way as they would in the office, so why be in the office.
"We've seen this strong growth in the last 6 years during a time when the conditions weren't right and legal obstacles were in the way.
"Now it is much better from a legal point of view, so I think we'll see a lot more people doing this in the future."
Buying time
Computers with the sort of processing power required to do typical work tasks at home come at a fraction of the cost compared with just a few years ago.
But it is not just the cost.
People value their time very highly and the office commute has an insatiable appetite for that precious commodity.
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/40066000/jpg/_40066633_homeworkingbody203.jpg
Working from home saves time and money away from the daily commute
RAC estimates of daily round trips to and from work in London are as high as 3 hours - 15 hours a week, or nearly 2 days work.
For someone on an average salary of £27,000 a year, that brings income down to almost minimum wage levels, says Alan Denbigh.
Sectors
Those working in sales and customer services are most likely to request flexible working, with nearly one fifth coming from this sector, the DTI says.
Furthermore, managers and technology-related workers work more from home than others, according to the Teleworking Association.
And as the dust continues to clear after the dot com boom and bust, e-commerce is emerging as a strong growth area.
For executives of companies that have invested heavily in this technology, like car makers, it has made the global village a mouse-click away.
Consequently, working from home has become a necessity as well as a reality for the world's top executives.
In the United States, General Motors' chief executive Richard Wagoner keeps tabs on operations in Europe and Asia by logging on to the corporate network from home using a secure and wireless Wi-Fi laptop.
Drawbacks
If you have young children, working from home is popular.
In fact, most flexi-working revolved around the children, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
The DTI found that 43% of employees requested flexible working for childcare reasons and 58% of those were women.
And as many of them can testify, working from home is not always about popping into the lounge for the odd gardening show on daytime TV or avoiding the office politics.
For those working from home there are new pressures in the home environment.
Despite the benefits of less travel and more flexibility on the downside there was a new stress of working longer hours.
Balancing work and family commitments, and the "invasion" of the work environment on the home space, counteract the benefits of more flexibility and less commuting.
All home workers with children find it difficult to balance home and work responsibilities, the ESRC survey says.
Legal framework
But help to support the needs of young families is at hand.
The Employment Act 2002 came into force on 6 April 2003 and introduced a package of so-called family friendly working rights.
Parents with children aged under the age of 6, and with disabled children aged under 18, were given the legal right to get their employers to seriously consider requests to work flexibly.
Bosses on the whole are supporting the new legal framework.
A breakdown of the DTI figures shows that for employees who requested flexible working, 77% were fully accepted by employers and in 9% of cases a compromise was reached.
Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are less supportive than larger ones, however.
More than three in four SMEs say flexible working directives have had no impact on their business and a whopping two thirds admitted they have no flexi-workers, an Inter-Tel survey of 300 firms found.
Furthermore, the law is not always very widely understood.
"Sixty-five per cent of adults are not aware of current legislation and 39% would be uncomfortable in mentioning working from home to their boss," says Panasonic executive Steve Wilson, referring to a survey conducted by his firm.
"Men in particular need to be more aware of their rights, and leadership is needed from the senior management of companies." insists the DTI spokesman.
Benefit to business
If the working from home phenomenon is to grow as predicted, it needs to be beneficial to both employer and employee. The picture seems mixed.
The rising cost of office space eats into company profits. One less workstation could mean one step closer towards moving to a smaller site.
In a technological world, home workers are no longer out of sight and out of mind. The boss's cursory glance across the office to check what a worker is up to can be replaced by a web cam or software that checks if you are logged in.
Office politics and gossip may not be everyone's cup of tea, but brain storming with colleagues at meetings would be considered a must by most company chiefs.
Whichever way you look at home working the advice always seems to be - it is vital that you do not see it as an easy option.
continue ... ...