Alternative officing (AO) was a phrase first coined in the early nineties to describe new workplace strategies such as; just-in-time space, hot desking and hotelling. These initiatives were introduced as a means of minimising space usage and increasing workplace densities by large office-based organisations. Historically, such Facility driven AO programs which targeted real estate cost reduction, met with varying degrees of success.

Today AO has new drivers and is delivering extended organisational benefits which go beyond simply improving space metrics and real estate costs.

Futuroligist, Alvin Toffler’s 1981 prediction of an “office-less” work environment” is in its literal form unlikely however; the use of computers and telecommunications to change the “accepted geography” of work is causing work to become increasingly “office-less”. Distributed Working (DW) is a more and more common feature of the global economy. DW encompasses a variety of blended work options including, working from home, satellite offices and, corporate offices.

Leading MNC’s have successfully deployed DW programmes in Europe & the US to great effect

Leading companies across a range of industries such as IBM, Sun Microsystems, Bell, Boeing, Bank of America, BT, Nortel and Proctor & Gamble have successfully deployed Distributed Work Programmes (DWP). These programmes provide flexible working opportunities to employee groups.  Whilst the costs saving alone are impressive - UK telecommunication giant BT reported that its 11,600 homeworkers in their 70,000 person ‘BT Workstyle’ initiative saved the Company, $S218 million in real estate costs in 2005, it is interesting to note that BT believe that these workers are 20% more productive than their office based colleagues. Nortel have reported a 15-20% productivity gain for home workers in the UK.

Top UK Business School Henley Management College’s research suggests that distributed working aids staff recruitment, retention & workplace productivity

Henley Management College, one of the UK’s Top Business Schools, in a 2005 research report entitled ‘Managing Tomorrow’s Worker’ which included input from leading firms such as Merrill Lynch, Hewlett Packard, Microsoft UK, Linklaters and BT concluded that, the key advantages of homeworking were:

* Recruitment & retention of staff.
* Improvement in worklife balance.
* Higher productivity.

The shift to a knowledge based economy where talent is the economic capital of business, infers that the innovative management of talent (recruitment, retention & motivation) will confer competitive advantage on a company thereby allowing it to outperform its competitors.  Henley’s research emphasises the benefits of flexible working arrangements as an HRM tool in particular, the positive impact on recruitment and retention as opposed to the pure real estate cost savings.

Blended DW programmes deliver multiple benefits ranging from HRM to Business Continuity Planning

In Singapore competition for talent is intensifying. This combined with the strong growth in office rentals, a shortage of office space and a corresponding desire to improve space metrics suggests that, flexible, blended homeworking options for select staff could yield multi-dimensional benefits to an organisation & its employees alike. Clearly a flexible DW programme that blends home and office based work may appeal to a wide cross section of talent including mothers returning to the workforce.

There is a further dimension to DW Programmes – that of Business Continuity Planning (BCP). In this regard telecommuting from home is seen as a viable way of managing business continuity in the event of an act of terrorism or medical pandemic such as avian bird flu or SARS. With Singapore’s ever increasing prominence as a regional headquarter location it would seem prudent to consider Distributed Working as a BCP tool which can be deployed at a local and regional level to combat disruptions. Indeed Congress in the States has mandated that home-based telework be made available to all Federal employees as both a cost and BCP strategy.

Performance measurement & management underwrite job type selection

Examination of successful DW initiatives indicates that a wide range of knowledge work job typologies are candidates for DW programmes. These include both executive & manager functions, software developers, training personnel, customer service representatives, HR analysts, project managers and sales and marketing road warriors.  DW arrangements work best in instances where performance can be measured.

Organisations that excel in collaboration mentoring and communication are often the best innovators and industry performers. Clearly DW potentially inhibits both activities. Programmed “face time” in the office is essential for both the telecommuter and the organisation as are enabling technologies which underpin communication.

Singapore is ideally positioned and enabled for Distributed Work

Distributed Work Programmes can only be successful if enabled by technology.  Singapore’s highly developed wireless and data connectivity provides a perfect platform for seamless and unified, location independent communications which underwrites mobile work including, homework.

The amount of “face time” allocated will be a function of the degree of interaction associated with a function’s various work activities combined with personal preference. An organisation must also consider the important but intangible aspects associated with “face to face” interactions in particular, fostering teamwork and, a positive motivational environment.

Research supports the view that work will become more remote & flexible which will require new management competencies

Henley’s research supports the view that work will continue to become more remote and flexible and that good managers will adapt to this. Clearly organisations will need to ensure good management processes and competent managers in order to succeed. Communications, objective setting and performance management are critical underpinning competencies for a successful DW programme. Trust is a further essential ingredient.

With scale, DW programmes certainly create the opportunity to improve space metrics and drive down real estate costs through the application of alternative officing strategies however, productivity and HRM gains are the more compelling drivers.

Distributed working does not appeal to everyone or fit into every corporate culture – change management, leadership & collaboration are required

Singapore has the right environment and infrastructure for implementing flexible DW programmes that blend home and office work. Organisations should not lose site of the fact that any DWP involves a significant commitment to ‘change management’. DW programmes are necessarily collaborative strategies developed by HR, Facilities and IT with ‘top-down’ leadership commitment and support.

For more information on distributed working and how it can potentially be leveraged please contact, Nick Jones; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it