Working Anywhere?

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Working Anywhere?

Anywhere Working, a business consortium backed by the TUC and designed to promote the concept of remote working, has been launched.



Norman Baker, the government's Transport Minister who pops up regularly on issues to do with homeworking, appeared at the launch of Anywhere Working, a consortium seeking to promote remote working by offering advice and online training. The consortium, which is business-backed but supported also by the TUC, launched itself in November last year and promises a number of case studies from which organisations can learn from the experience of others - including BT, which is a major employer of Prospect members - as well as tips and tricks on working smarter, more healthily and more productively. Vodafone - in which we can also find Prospect members - is one of the consortium's direct backers.

The Department for Transport is a supporter of the initiative - as Baker said at the launch, transport is the fastest growing source of carbon emissions so cutting down on working journeys has a key role to play in meeting carbon reduction targets. Likewise Transport for London, which has a key interest in cutting journeys into the capital during July/August, and August/September, this year...

Other advocates of homeworking can find plenty of others and it's welcome that the TUC is also on board with the initiative. Apart from the organisational benefits - perhaps a natural part of the site's resource - the initiative promises a perspective on how we balance our work and our life, and a particular focus on the latter.

The Working Anywhere initiative is still young but looks set to be a useful resource for those seeking to build cases for their own homeworking arrangements; or, more simply, to understand a little more about what homeworking might mean for them in practice.

Anywhere Working promises an Anywhere Working Week commencing 27 February, so that's one for the diary!

Posted: 17 January 2012