Case Studies

Management and Control

A large organisation, city centre, decided to allow its senior managers to work from home when they felt inclined, to avoid commuter problems. All were issued with laptops and communication software, and given preliminary training sessions on effective use.

The system collapsed, not because the managers were unable to use the equipment, or were unwilling to communicate, but because there was no effective coordination of movement. Although members of the same department may have known where people were, the integration of home and office working was not addressed as a whole organisational strategy, resulting in increasing degrees of frustration with communication in both directions - clients were unable to connect directly or found the office empty, personnel did not have access to the software they needed while at home - and the system was abandoned.

Following consultancy in the effective management and control of remote working, seamless integration of home and remote workers was achieved.

Space Management

A busy office appeared to require additional staff to cope with front-line customer service, but there was no space to accommodate more staff without taking on new premises or extending existing buildings.

By examining job descriptions of existing staff, and using remote workers for the elements of work which did not require front-line presence, the problem was solved.

Staff Retention

A valued member of staff in a small company moved house, due to personal circumstances. The new dwelling was too far from the office to commute daily.

Instead of losing the member of staff, a system of remote working was put in place, with effective management through a combination of visual communication, time management and regular personal meetings, which allowed retention.