SMARTER WORKING SOLUTION FOR WORKPLACE REVOLUTION

A LEADING business support organisation is the latest major promoter of the Work Wise North East campaign, signing up for a range of forward-thinking working practices set to benefit both employer and employee.

Business Link North East is already a strong advocate of flexible-working policies, offering flexi-time and mobile-working arrangements to the majority to those staff in customer-facing roles. 

BLNE employs 320 people, spanning the full range of ages and recognise that different employees have different needs and demands in their wider lives. By fitting in with these and not enforcing a 9-to-5 culture, BLNE knows that it will have happier, more productive employees who are more likely to put their all into their work, whilst also achieving a good work and life balance.
 
BLNE is now keen to formalise its smarter working practices by signing up to the campaign and seeking full smarter-working accreditation.

Alastair MacColl, BLNE chief executive, emphasises the benefits to employer and employee of these smarter working practices. He said: "It makes perfect business sense for us. We radically re-shaped our operations around smarter working to deliver better results. Now we are much more targeted and performance-focused. To be honest, we are more interested in what people generate, than the hours they work. We have found that these practices are far more cost-effective and employees are happier and perform much better."

BLNE is in the process of introducing new technology, to help implement its policies, kitting their staff out with multi-media mobile and video-conferencing equipment to help staff work remotely and communicate more effectively, whilst still functioning as a team.

Mr MacColl added "This kind of smarter working allows us to achieve more, use fewer resources and run in a more effective fashion that seems to suit everyone. As a business, we are keen to attract and retain the very best talent and thanks to our smarter-working practices we are succeeding in this"

As part of their commitment, BLNE will be running joint events with Work Wise North East. "Our role is to ensure that our brokers know about the Work Wise campaign and can pass on all the benefits of smarter-working practices to our customers, which amount to 30, 000 businesses in the North East of England.

"I think that many businesses are put off the idea of flexible-working through fear of reduced profits, but there are so many proven business benefits, such as, increased productivity; lower outlays and a happier, more committed workforce; that we feel it essential to dispel these prejudices" said Mr MacColl.

Simon Roberson, who heads the Work Wise campaign in the North East, said: "There are so many opportunities to work more creatively.  The access to online facilities is so widespread now, that it is much easier for employees to work remotely. In the past, it was all about wage, pension and holidays, but now flexibility is a differentiator in the market.

"Business Link North East is setting a tremendous example that smarter-working is very achievable and that there are real business benefits from taking a fresh look at how you manage your workforce.  BLNE has demonstrated that smarter working is a win-win, both for the employer and the employee" said Mr Roberson.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• For media enquiries contact: Sheila Chapman, Sheila Chapman PR on 07732 827 486 email scpr@btopenworld.com
• Further information about Work Wise UK can be found on the website www.workwiseuk.org/northeast     
• Work Wise North East has attracted wide-ranging support from leading organisations in the region.  Strategic partners include the TUC, One NorthEast, Government Office, North East Chamber of Commerce, Onyx Group, EEF Northern, Workplace Travel Planning Company, Dickinson Dees, BT, RBLI, Equality North East and Nexus.