Businesses are increasingly adopting flexible working practices and new technologies for several reasons: CIOs can achieve cost savings; property savings are possible with less office space needed; employees desire work-life balance and flexibility; and flexible work attracts top talent. When implementing flexible work, key considerations include understanding user needs, evaluating appropriate IT provisions, ensuring procurement considers changing needs, investing in enabling infrastructure, and integrating communications tools. Users should be profiled as fixed, flexi, or mobile based on where they spend their time to better deliver personalized IT support and maximize productivity. Flexible work requires engagement, goal setting, training, and learning from other organizations' experiences.

1. Evaluating a
flexible working
environment
Explore our ‘how to’ guide…
• Why the need for a change?
• Top 5 key considerations for flexible
working practices
• How to profile users

2. Why the need for
change?
Businesses are embracing these new
technology and working practice changes
for a number of reasons…

3. Why the need for a change?
CIO’s can achieve
more for less
The cost of replacing legacy systems
with new technologies has made it
possible for the CIO to make a business
case based on cost savings from a
reduction in the total cost of ownership.
In addition, the deployment of unified
communications reduces the cost of
unnecessary travel for example.

4. Why the need for a change?
Property savings
can be achieved
With less of a dependency on office space,
desks are not needed for every single
employee. Knock on savings are possible
by also reducing the need for as much IT
and telephony infrastructure.

5. Why the need for a change?
A desire for
flexi working
Technology facilitates a change to working
culture from “present” in the office from 9-5,
to a culture based on trust; where
employees are encouraged to work where,
when and how they want.

6. Why the need for a change?
Improved conditions
and happier staff
New technology can fulfil the desire that
employees and employers have for more
control over their work life balance, and
increase staff satisfaction.

7. Why the need for a change?
Competition for the
best staff
Employers are striving to make their working
cultures and office environments more
appealing to Generation Y (those born after
1982). The most effective technology in the
working environment will attract, impress and
retain employees.
These are all tangible benefits of introducing
changes to working practices. Certainly the
technology exists to make it possible. However,
it requires a different approach to the
procurement of technology.

8. A work culture change whereby work
becomes something you do rather than a
place you go to requires new
considerations about the needs of the
business and its employees, now and in
the foreseeable future.
For example…
Top 5 key
Considerations for
flexible working practices

9. Top 5 Key considerations for
flexible working practices
1. The big picture
New technology can fulfil the desire that
employees and employers have for more
control over their work life balance, and
increase staff satisfaction.

10. Top 5 Key considerations for
flexible working practices
2. IT provision
Today you may have a fairly static workforce
with clear demarcation between office based
and remote working staff, but the changes you
want to bring about will mean in some cases a
blurring of who you provide with which types of
IT equipment.

11. Top 5 Key considerations for
flexible working practices
3. Procurement
It’s advisable not to just buy the latest like for like
replacements for fixed and mobile communications
devices. The number of fixed devices, lines and
licenses, and the design of the Private Branch
Exchange (PBX) required will be very different — as
will the number of mobiles you currently operate
and the types of mobile devices you use. Make sure
you give yourself time to properly evaluate devices
preferably using a trusted partner who has an
evaluation methodology. Many organisations have
procured iPhones and iPads for employees only to
find that for some workers they are totally
inadequate and not fit for purpose.

12. Top 5 Key considerations for
flexible working practices
4. Infrastructure
investment
A change in working practices may also
require investment in technology that
enables a more flexible workplace. Wi-Fi,
secure remote access, mobile device
management and your Wide Area Network
may all need investment.

13. Z
Top 5 Key considerations for
flexible working practices
5. Integrated
communications
A change in working practices may also
require investment in technology that
enables a more flexible workplace. Wi-Fi,
secure remote access, mobile device
management and your Wide Area Network
may all need investment.

14. In order to marry up user needs, working
practices and IT requirements you need to
profile the users into categories that are
easy to identify and manage. This is not
about pigeon holing people but about how
you deliver and manage IT for the benefit of
the business. Think about where these
users spend most of their time. For
example do they need to be primarily office
based because of the type of work they do?
Use the following key questions to profile
your users…
How to Profile Users

15. How to profile users
(Desk-based staff who rarely leave the office)
Do your users spend most of the working day
sat at their desk? If so, perhaps they should
be categorised as a “fixed” user profile.
Maybe they need a fixed phone, a desktop
PC and some unified communications
applications such as instant messaging and
presence, so they can interact with
colleagues who are not in the same place at
the same time as they are.
Fixed users

16. How to profile users
(Office based-staff rarely at their desk)
There are also those staff who are mainly office based but
spend much of the day in and out of meetings and can work
elsewhere when they want to. These could be referred to as
having a “flexi” user profile and perhaps aren’t as dependent
on such fixed IT assets as a desk phone or a desktop PC.
Perhaps they would be better equipped with a laptop, Wi-Fi
access, a smart phone and a soft phone application. The
nature of their work means that they are less predictable,
less fixed and more in need of flexible forms of
communications that can be taken with them.
Many workers fall into this category and in some cases this
profile can represent more than 50% of the workforce
depending on the nature of the sector.
Flexi users

17. How to profile users
(Field staff, rarely in the office)
Finally, we have the mobile worker; someone that is
rarely in the office and mostly travelling or on-site
visiting a client (sales) or fixing something in the field
(engineer). These could be classified as having a
“mobile” profile. They would be heavily reliant on
mobilised technology that perhaps is always on; a
smart phone and tablet to allow them to
communicate when they are not in the same place at
the same time as colleagues and clients, but still
being able to gain secure access to services and
applications so they can be as responsive and
informed as possible, ensuring productivity, safety
and responsive - anytime and from anywhere.
Mobile users

18. Making work something you do and not a place you go to requires a
different way of looking at the office and its IT requirements. It needs
engagement across the business and defined goals to measure against
success. It’s imperative to train users and communicate the benefits to
them regarding the changes that are taking place. It also requires an
openness and a sharing of your vision with suppliers that understand
what you want to do and why.
Take the time to visit organisations that have implemented changes like
these and learn from their explanations of what worked and what didn’t.
Your business will undoubtedly benefit from making work a thing you do
and not a place you go to.
olive.co.uk/flexible
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Conclusion