18.10.07
actnow launches pioneering toolkit for flexible working

actnow, the Objective One partnership project that is led by Cornwall Enterprise and has spearheaded the growth of broadband and IT amongst businesses in Cornwall, has launched a new toolkit designed to make it easier for small and medium sized businesses in the South West to benefit from flexible working. The toolkit is at www.flexible-working.org, which goes live this week.

Funded by the South West of England Regional Development Agency and BT as well as Objective One, actnow flex is the first project in the UK to examine in depth the issues and productivity gains amongst SMEs that introduce flexible working.

Fabian King, Head of Regional ICT at the South West of England Regional Development Agency says: “Flexible working can help transform business by allowing people to work from home and on the move. Through the use of technology such as broadband at home, WiFi hotspots, video-conferencing and BlackBerries, it is now possible to carry out business anywhere anytime. This has enormous potential to increase business competitiveness as well as benefiting the environment as it reduces the need for business travel and commuting.”

The pioneering actnow flex project is working with 50 SMEs in Cornwall and the South West to pilot flexible working and is studying the impact on their business through research by the Future Work Forum at The Henley Management College and SustainIT. The pilot businesses have received financial help to upgrade their ICT to enable flexible working and advice about how they could adapt their working patterns to increase productivity and improve work-life balance for the business principals and the employees.

Peter Thomson, Director of the Future Work Forum, says: “Managers need to reward their flexible workers by output rather than by time served. This is a radical change in management culture but employees can work more productively, provide improved customer service and enjoy greater job satisfaction. It is a win-win situation!”

The new flexible working toolkit at www.flexible-working.org, reflects input from the businesses involved in the pilot project and includes the items they have identified as most likely to help small and medium sized businesses introduce flexible working successfully. The toolkit includes advice on Health and Safety assessments, tax, legal aspects, tips on managing remote workers and tips on working effectively from home. The site can be navigated from the perspective of either an employer or an employee, with the information tailored to their respective needs and interests.

Tim Goldburn, from Preston Goldburn solicitors in Falmouth, which is one of the businesses taking part in the pilot project, says: “Our staff can now work from home and via WiFi connections. For some, it means they can work around their childcare commitments.  For our lawyers, it means they can work from home, from court or wherever they are close to a wireless broadband hotspot. Also we can have fun. It is extremely difficult for our commercial team to go on holiday because inevitably some crisis occurs whilst they are away from the office.  By equipping them with WiFi enabled laptops and Bluetooth modem enabled phones they can keep in touch with the office through hotspots or from, for instance the beach in Corsica or on the Isles of Scilly. We are very glad that we took the step, we could not have done it without actnow and we have noticed that it has improved our customer care and our profitability.”

Other businesses involved in the actnow flex project have reported significant  gains in productivity as well as reduced overheads, improved staff retention and morale.

Nigel Ashcroft, actnow Project Director says: “At actnow we are convinced that flexible working is the killer application for broadband, capable of delivering benefits right across the board – to businesses and their employees as well as environmental and social advantages.  We want Cornwall to be seen as the flexible working capital of the UK.”

Michael Dunn, Regional Manager of BT says: “Our research has shown that flexible working can result in productivity increases of 15% and that the impact on staff retention can be dramatic. At BT, the percentage of staff returning after maternity leave rose to 99% as a result of flexible working, compared with a national average of 49%. This innovative toolkit from actnow makes it easy for small businesses to embrace flexible working, increasing their competitiveness and also improving their work-life balance so as to make the most of being in the South West of England.”

For more information about actnow flex, please contact actnow on 0800 800 935 or email flex@actnowcornwall.co.uk.

For further information please contact Lynn File at Brand Innovation on 01208 821787.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the actnow project through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

Editor's notes:

The actnow programme is a demand-led initiative to encourage businesses in Cornwall to gain the support they need to move into the broadband economy. It is one of the largest private and public sector partnerships in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly since it was granted Objective One status by the European Union in 2000.

The £20 million project is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF). Other project partners include Cornwall Enterprise, the Objective One Partnership Office, BT, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South West of England Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council, Business Link Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall College and the Rural Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Partnership.

The actnow flex project, which commenced in mid 2006, has been invested in by the South West Regional Development Agency, BT, Cornwall County Council and Cornwall Enterprise as well as Objective One.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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