Press Release | Telework Association promotes virtual meetings with webinar
As part of the Work Wise Week virtual meeting theme, the Telework Association today opens bookings for a webinar entitled Flexible Working - Good for Everyone?. Organising this event as a webinar means that anyone with a computer and an internet connection can participate. They can attend without leaving home, thus saving time, money and carbon emissions. They will also avoid the possible risk of coming into contact with anyone harbouring the swine flu virus.
This webinar will help meet the increasing demand for relevant information from the growing number of people interested in teleworking. One reason for this increasing interest is that the 'right to request flexible working' legislation was extended last month to parents of children up to age 16. This legislation has again raised the issue of the impact of flexible working on businesses. Often flexible working is seen as 'family friendly' but not 'business friendly'. This is because it is closely associated with maternity leave and other social provisions. This only serves to reinforce the image that this is an employee benefit that increases the burden, especially on small businesses.
The Telework Association believes there is ample evidence to show that flexible workers are more productive and loyal. It is perhaps unfortunate that the legislation encourages employers to give flexibility to parents and not to other employees. People who have no caring responsibilities are denied the ability to improve their work-life balance, whilst their parenting colleagues are treated more favourably. This often creates resentment and can demotivate a section of the workforce. The webinar will emphasise good management practice. It will show how to make decisions based on the practicalities of the work, not on the personal lives of employees. It will thus be relevant to individuals and managers.
The webinar is being run by Wisework Ltd, leading experts on remote and flexible working. This is part of their sponsorship of the Telework Association. Tony Wareing, a Director of Wisework said "This webinar takes the learnings from our client work and uses the Internet as an excellent vehicle for disseminating them. We regard webinars as the way forward, particularly for distributed organisations, or in times of terrorist or health threats or bad weather conditions. Attendees will still get a workbook to complete and can pose questions to the panel of experts."
The Telework Association has been promoting the benefits of teleworking since it was set up in 1993. These latest initiatives reinforce the Association's reputation as Europe's foremost authority on teleworking and position it to offer much needed information and expertise in today's tough economic and business environment.
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Note to editors
About the Telework Association:
The Telework Association is the leading European organisation promoting flexible and remote working and providing services to individuals and organisations involved in telework. Founded in 1992, the association provides regular communications to members in the form of a weekly newsletter and a quarterly magazine.
The association has carried out research into various aspects of remote working and is currently investigating the productivity of home working compared with conventional work. As well as carrying out its own research, the association has gathered expertise from other sources and provides information to members both corporate and individual.
As promoters of teleworking the Association is able to provide informed comment on issues such as government policy and business practice in the field of remote working. The association supports teleworking as a solution to business problems, a contribution to environmental goals and a source of improved quality of life.
For further information contact:
Peter Thomson, Director of Research email peter@telework.org.uk or telephone 01491 628143
Shirley Borrett, Development Director email: Shirley@telework.org.uk or 07831 307890
Brian Higton, Chairman, email chairman@telework.org.uk or 01560 323444
This webinar is one of a number of initiatives including a Homeworkers' Productivity survey and a new website. For further information see www.telework.org.
About Wisework Ltd.
Wisework Ltd is a leading consultancy specialising in flexible and remote working. It provides services which enable organisations to plan and implement new working practices effectively, maximising the business benefit and minimising the disruption. Wisework's directors have been helping clients to implement teleworking for the past 20 years and have unrivalled experience in this field. See www.wisework.co.uk for more detail.
Contact Tony Waring TonyW@wisework.co.uk or you can call him on +44 (0)1296 670004
For Work Wise Week information see www.workwiseuk.org/events/workwiseweek09.html
