25.09.08
Flexible West "can beat the crunch"

"Flexible working helps SW firms weather economic storm businesses in the South West could be well positioned to weather the economic downturn, because of their high uptake of modern flexible working arrangements," says Julian Cowans, project manager of actnow flex.

Previous studies have shown that flexible work practices, such as working remotely from home or on the move, or at less conventional times, can improve employees' productivity by as much as 15%, while simultaneously reducing overhead costs.

Such methods are especially popular in the South West.  Thanks to widespread availability of suitable technology, spearheaded by projects such as actnow, which was invested in by Objective One, and the success of local creative, technical and service-based industries, almost half of the region's businesses now have at least some employees working flexibly.

Now economic conditions are worsening, however, Julian Cowans, manager of the Cornwall Enterprise-led actnow flex project, believes these flexible work arrangements, even partly adopted for lifestyle reasons, could give the region's businesses a competitive edge.

He says:  "Many businesses in the South West have been quick to seize upon flexible working because of the benefits for work-life balance.  It's often a natural fit with the way they do business, independent of a big city location, and lets them make the most of the reasons they wanted to work here in the first place.

"Increasingly, though, companies that work flexibly are finding themselves more competitive in the new, tougher market conditions.  They have higher productivity, lower costs, and can react to new opportunities more quickly.

"Given the region's high take up of flexible working, that could be really good news for the South West."

Michael Dunn, Regional Manager of BT says: "BT introduced flexible working into the business some time ago and we have seen increases in productivity and cost savings as a result, as well as increased staff retention and motivation. It is great to see actnow flex take the lead in introducing the benefits of flexible working to the smaller businesses are the backbone of the economy in the South West.  We now have more than 10,000 people who work from home and 64,000 more who are equipped to work flexibly."

Further insights into trends among flexible working firms will be revealed on Tuesday 4th November, when the full results from a South West wide pilot study are announced at the Business Anytime Anywhere conference, organised by actnow flex at the Eden Project.

Funded by the South West Regional Development Agency, BT, the inward investment service Cornwall Pure Business, Cornwall County Council and Cornwall Enterprise, the event will be the UK's first ever conference on exploring the impact of flexible working for small and medium-sized businesses.

Fabian King, head of regional ICT at SWRDA, comments:  "Small businesses in the South West are leading the nation on flexible working, so it's a very fitting place to have the country's first ever conference on the subject.

"Home broadband, WiFi hotspots, video conferencing and mobile internet technology are all having a great impact on the way we work.  The benefits for the environment and people's work wellbeing have always been clear, but now the increase in competitiveness and profitability is also coming into its own."

Tickets for the Business Anytime Anywhere conference are available FREE OF CHARGE to owners and managers of businesses in the South West, employing less than 250 people.

For more information, or to reserve a place, call 0800 800 935 or email peter.heath@actnowcornwall.co.uk.

For further information please contact Lynn File at Brand Innovation on telephone: 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 Objective One project actnow has helped over 10,000 businesses in Cornwall make the most of broadband technology.  A demand-led initiative to encourage businesses in Cornwall to gain the support they need to move into the broadband economy, actnow has been one of the largest private and public sector partnerships in Cornwall since Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly was granted Objective One status by the European Union in 2000.

The actnow flex project promoting flexible working is the first project in the UK to look specifically at the impacts of flexible working on small and medium sized businesses.

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

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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