Telco joins Workwise UK

BT has joined the Workwise UK campaign, a scheme set up by the not-for-profit IT Forum Foundation, which aims to encourage the widespread adoption of smarter working practices, such as flexible, mobile, remote and home working.

The telco is the first major corporate body to join the campaign, which is organising a national week of action in May to force employers to look more carefully at enabling staff to work remotely.

Nearly 12,000 BT staff already work remotely from outside the office.

"As a leader of flexible working in the UK, we are delighted to be supporting this important new initiative," said Caroline Waters, director of people and policy at BT.

"Where, when and how we work is changing and today's businesses are more efficient and more flexible as a result of the networked world in which we operate.

"However, while the benefits of adopting flexible working practices are clear in terms of increased productivity and employee satisfaction, the challenge for management is to ensure that it is equipped to cope with a digitally enabled workforce."

May 3-9 has been dedicated as Workwise Week by the IT Forum Foundation, and will include a London summit involving representatives from government, the unions and UK businesses who will debate the issues around delivering a smarter working Britain.

The campaign aims to increase the number of people benefiting from smarter working from 3.1 million to 14 million within three years.

"Recent technology advances have played a huge part in facilitating the wider adoption of smarter working and BT is at the forefront of these technologies both as a telecoms provider and as an employer," said Phil Flaxton, chief executive of the IT Forum Foundation. "We are delighted to have them on board."