Toshiba spearheads flexible working drive
Toshiba spearheads flexible working drive
Mar 04, 2005: Promoting its position in the mobile computing space it may be, but Toshiba is also looking to make life a little easier for Australia's workforce with its formation of a group that aims to create more flexible working environments across the country.
Toshiba has already enlisted the support of 17 prominent Australian and New Zealand businesses and industry groups including Westpac, IAG, the Business Council of Australia, Cisco, Pfizer and Telstra, to promote and guide the development of flexible workplace practices in Australia and across the Tasman in NZ.
The Toshiba Flexible Working Special Interest Group (SIG) looks to provide leadership in the development of flexible workplaces and create a network of flexible workplace experts and resources. The overall aim is to assist organisations improve business outcomes through the successful implementation of flexible working, thereby assisting employees achieve greater work / life balance.
The establishment of the group follows the publication of the Mobility and Mistrust report, commissioned by Toshiba and conducted by independent researcher, Sweeney Research, late last year. The report showed that flexible working is not commonly offered by Australian and New Zealand organisations (only a third offer the practice to employees, and of these only 26 percent have policies in place to support it), partially because Australian managers do not trust their employees to work away from the office.
The main task of the new group is to produce a management guide to flexible working, providing advice and best-practice case studies on how and why to implement flexible working. The management guide is due to be released by May 2005.
The SIG will be chaired by independent academic and business consultant, Dr James Cowley, who will lead a group of members, each of which have significant experience or a clear commitment to flexible workplace practices. Members are grouped into three areas of specialisation: organisational culture, IT management and human resources management.
Dr Cowley said: “For some time, the Government and industry groups have been concerned about the shrinking workforce in Australia, and with unemployment rates at a 28-year low, individual businesses are also starting to take notice of this problem and consider solutions which will make them attractive to employees. Offering flexible working to assist employees achieve greater work / life balance is considered to be a viable way in which organisations can improve their rates of attracting and retaining staff.”
Mark Whittard, general manager, Australia and New Zealand, Toshiba (ISD), said: “Businesses are increasingly realising that flexible working is a model that not only benefits employees, but it offers direct returns to the organisation itself, through savings on such things as overheads, plus the long-term gains in intellectual capital provided through being considered an attractive and reputable employer."
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