16th May 2007 QE2 Centre

Good morning and a hugely warm welcome to this second Work Wise Summit and the start of National Work Wise Week.

I am delighted that you have been able to join us today at this significant event to mark the start of year two.

Work Wise UK as many of you will know, is a not for profit initiative, which aims to help the UK become one of the most progressive economies in the world.

Through our parent organisation, The I T Forum Foundation, we have been working with Government and Business for over 25 years to help improve competitiveness and productivity within the UK.

The aim of the Work Wise UK campaign, is quite simply, to bring about a Workstyle Revolution.

For many people, the culture of working from 9 to 5, five days a week, at a central location comes from a bygone age.

In today's 24/7 global economy and with all the technological advances we have made, a rigid work culture is unnecessary. It is wasteful in terms of time and resources, damaging in terms of the environment, and harmful, in that it impacts upon stress levels and health.

The increasingly complex and competitive world of work, means that employers and employees have to use their resources more effectively, not just to gain increased productivity, but also to balance work life pressures.

Work Wise Week is intended to show, that the implementation of smarter working practices can deliver huge benefits socially, financially and environmentally.

Wide adoption of smarter working practices, is an obvious answer to four key issues facing our economy today, so obvious that it is being missed by many in politics and business.

The four issues are, competitiveness, the environment, road congestion and quality of life.

The Stern Report published last year, warned of environmental catastrophe if we don't change our thinking and actions. Part of the answer here must be smarter working practices.

Changing working patterns by compressed working hours, job sharing, 9 day fortnights, teleconferencing, working from home, working remotely, mobile and flexible working, can all help to substantially reduce the necessity to travel to work or to business meetings. 

A reduced need to travel, means less emissions. Carbon neutrality and disclosure are gaining increasing importance in the Board room, but there is a long way to go before carbon reporting features alongside the financials.  

The Eddington Report, also published last year, looked at the problems of road congestion, and suggested the introduction of road charging.  Again, changing working practices will reduce the volume of travel, providing a significant part of the answer to road congestion.

The adoption of more flexible attitudes across the public and private sectors could 'stagger' the rush hour, reducing peak travel, the main time when congestion occurs.

Mobile working Hot desking, Drop in centres, Tele and video conferencing are effective ways of beating congestion, saving costs and increasing productivity.

The UK has one of the longest working weeks and the longest commute times in Europe. The social impact of work on all of us is considerable. Absenteeism, the stress and health cost, as well as the impact on family life, has huge impact on the nation and business efficiency.  

Again, adoption of new working practices offers solutions, enabling people to work more productively and at the same time improve their work-life balance.

Smarter working is happening. - Our partners and participants here today, see the obvious benefits of smarter working, and some are already reaping the economic benefits, as we will hear later.

The support for Work Wise UK and this second Work Wise Week has been tremendous. Support and commendation, has come from Government, the CBI, TUC, Chambers of Commerce, SCOPE, Henley Management College, Association of Commuter Transport, BusinessHR, Technology Means Business, Equal Opportunities Commission, SEEDA and many industry sectors.

One of our key strategic partners is British Telecom. They have led the way to smarter working and have been introducing smarter working practices over the last decade, reshaping and developing their own business. Today they will be sharing their experiences and success with us.

Another strategic partner, Transport for London, have not only supported the Work Wise programme, but they also commissioned  WorkWise UK to  produce The Guide to Smarter Working, which will be available to you all shortly both on the web and in hard copy. This is an authorative and practical guide, which I hope you will find useful as you develop new practices for yourselves.

Smarter working can take many forms, and apply to any size or type of organisation. Some changes to working practices are simple with few cost implications, others involve huge programmes of reorganisation and workflow review. We will be discussing the different approaches during the day.

Following the national launch of WorkWise UK last May, the UK Regions have been hugely supportive and we have been working throughout the UK with a wide range of partners to deliver the campaign at a local level. Some partners are represented here today and they will be sharing their ideas on working practices later today and in the media as the week develops.

Following the summit today, the rest of the week will focus on the impact that smarter working can have on organisations and will explore case studies through the press, radio and television.

People across the UK will be sharing their experiences this week, developing the concepts of flexible and smarter working, helping everyone to benefit, from staff to customers.

Tomorrow the national focus will be on Environmental issues, less travel, lower emissions.

Friday 18th sees the second National Work from Home Day, focussing on work life balance issues, for a happier more contented staff.

Saturday will review the benefits of working smarter and Sunday, a day of rest for many, will focus on what is the busiest day of the week for millions of people, in a huge range of industries.

 During "Work Wise Weekend" we will be hearing from many of the "Sunday people" across the UK on radio, TV and in the press.

Monday 21st will develop the benefits of working smarter particularly around the Transport issues and will study the impact on business economics looking at the environment, congestion, pollution, changes to working practices and importantly the future infrastructure needed to support our growing economy.

On Tues 22nd we will concentrate on the social benefits of smarter working. We will be discussing issues of social inclusion and work life balance and we will be hearing from the carers and sharers in our society.

We really do want your input and involvement today and as our keynote speakers develop the themes, we would like you to discuss, challenge and develop the ideas. I know from last year's summit that Declan is a master at creating involvement, so get your questions and comments ready.

All of you in this room represent substantial companies, industries and associations.  As individuals, You have a huge capacity to influence, structure and develop the themes and ideas flowing from today.

These changes often impact on organisational culture and leadership styles. Shaping Change needs clear planning and dedicated programme management to be effectively introduced.

Our task now, is to help others see these benefits and convince them to change the way they work......

We invite organisations throughout the UK to sign up to the objectives outlined in the Concordat for WorkWise UK. This Concordat is on our website where you can join and sign up. The Concordat is a real milestone document and has already been signed by all our key partners who are helping to shaping the future. 

We encourage all of you here to adopt the Work Wise and Quality Work Standard, which will be announced today by "The UK Skills Envoy" Sir Digby Jones. The standard will be supported by a UK wide network of accredited advisors and I encourage you all to become envoys yourselves.

We encourage more public and private organisations to pick up and run with the challenge of Working Smarter by supporting Work Wise UK and working towards achieving this new standard.

During July we will be promoting ideas on Workplace Health & Fitness and in November we will once again be organising National Commute Smart Week, so there is much to become involved with right across the UK which will have impact for you, your organisations and your Regions. 

In addition, I am delighted to announce today, the establishment of the UK's first "Centre of Excellence for Smarter Working". This is one of the many initiatives that we will be developing as we move into year 2.

Just as Great Britain led the Industrial Revolution in the 19th Century, Work Wise UK partners, want Great Britain to lead the WORKSTYLE REVOLUTION in the 21st Century.  Helping  to improve our productivity, competitiveness and remain prosperous and influential in the world economy.

I hope you enjoy the day and take away lots of new thoughts and ideas. Thank you for being with us and giving the week such a great start.

Speech by David Lennan on 16 May 2007