Real Business Home Environment
The issue of flexible working continues to inspire lively debate amongst businesses, employees and politicians alike. However there is clearly still a concern that flexible workers working away from the office are less productive and spend their days watching day time TV rather than glued to their laptop.

Video: Steve Alderson & Chris Nomick
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

Video: Ray Laws
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

Video: Miles Hutchings
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

Video: James Knight
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

Video: Colin Yates
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

Video: Christine Featherstone
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

PMBA Winners
This year’s People Moving Business Awards recognised a variety of private and public sector companies for their efforts and success in mobile working. Winning companies spanned high maintenance law firms: independently working occupational therapists and public service providers, demonstrating that mobile working can improve the quality of any working lifestyle. The awards, led by Microsoft, in partnership with The Work Foundation and the Chartered Management Institute, are now in their second year.

Video: Ben Black
Winners of the 2008 The People Moving Business Awards in association with Microsoft.

Balance means balance
“Is now life/work balance. Is it now about balancing our life – adds an extra level to the “blur” story” 

People Moof On

A poll on a mobile working blog that I write for (www.moof.mobi) reveals that the worst aspects of mobile working seem to be more about people rather than process.
Missing the office banter and fear of the boss thinking you’re skiving are the two mains concerns. It’s hardly a scientific survey but it does suggest an interesting point, that what’s holding us back from becoming a more mobile workforce might not be technology or working practices but could actually be ourselves.

Women workers can have it all…or nearly

At first glance women would appear to be the perfect candidates for mobile-working. As well as being increasingly tech-savvy, a recent Microsoft survey found that more than half of woman (55%) take control of technology in the home, more often than not they are the primary child carer so have a strong claim for working more flexibly, especially as recent legislation has extended flexi-working rights for parents.