Time for a Deadtime Directive?

by Derek Williamson - Monday, 3rd September 2007

Time for a Deadtime Directive?

In 2006, the issue of Working Hours is on the public agenda more than ever before. This year sees the likely arrival of revisions to the EU Working Time Directive requiring a closer look at flexible working practices. This paper examines how a flexible approach to when and where we work, through access to mobile working opportunities can help businesses improve productivity whilst ensuring that staff benefit from an optimum work-life balance at the same time.

Introduction

The issue of working hours is becoming an increasingly pressing issue. The European Parliament and a number of EU states are keen that all member nations adhere to the EU Working Time Directive – a working week of no longer than 48 hours. However, the UK and other countries (including Austria, Germany, Hungary and Poland) want employees to be able to work additional hours if they volunteer to do so.

In May 2005, the UK won the first stage of a contest to maintain its ‘opt-out’ from the Directive, arguing that the opt-out is vital for competitiveness and job creation. The British Trade and Industry Secretary, Alan Johnson, said at the time: “All of us need to be flexible.” This was supported by Susan Anderson, Director of Human Resources Policy for the CBI when she said “The opt-out is a vital part of the UK’s flexible labour market and the government must defend it.”

Figures show that around 16% of the UK workforce currently works more that 48 hours per week. This 16% of the working population represents 3.9 million people and allowing for relative population sizes, represents four times the EU average. With this proportion of the UK workforce working more than 48 hours a week, it is clear to see why the UK government is keen to retain its opt-out, to retain an economic edge.

One of the strongest arguments levied against maintaining the opt-out is that staff may feel pressured into working longer hours. However, the focus of the debate should not necessarily surround the number of hours worked. It should be more about ensuring that staff are able to work more flexibly. It is true that some staff may not wish to work more than 48 hours per week, but staff that are keen to do so should be given the tools necessary to enable them to work where they want, when they want. Indeed, the case for flexible working is compelling for both sides of the debate.

Time for a Deadtime Directive

T-Mobile calls for all parties to take a fresh look at flexible working practices as a mutually beneficial solution. The UK government has recognised that a flexible workforce is a more productive workforce. However, this should not necessarily mean working longer hours for those that do not wish to, rather people should be allowed to work on their own terms and take advantage of solutions that enable them to work smarter.

T-Mobile is calling on businesses to embrace mobile working to enable staff to work more effectively throughout the day to free up personal time. The growth in the range of mobile devices that enable users to access information on the move is opening the floodgates for business to work almost anywhere. It is providing a plethora of options for where, when and how they can work.

It is also important to consider that at present, whilst it is currently permitted by the opt-out, if workers choose to work longer hours then mobile working can ensure that they can take advantage of home working in order to improve their work/life balance.

The benefits of mobile working are numerous. For example, Mobile working enables staff to make more effective use of their time ‘deadtime’ – be it waiting at an airport for a flight, travelling to or from work or on work business, or just simply waiting for a meeting to start. By being able to connect to the internet, email and office systems, staff can check email, continue to work on documents etc. Enabling staff to make effective use of this deadtime during the day ensures that companies can reduce the number of hours their staff have to work tied to a particular office or work location.

However, enabling staff to make use of this deadtime can also enable companies to be more efficient. Access to information on the move can prove invaluable for companies, by giving them the opportunity to respond to new business, to check the latest information before an important business deal or deal with existing customer enquiries, and do so more rapidly than organisations without these solutions. A rapid response to enquiries from potential or existing customers suggests an organisation is on the ball and able to deal with all eventualities.

Providing staff with mobile working solutions also enables them to have more control of their time and can significantly reduce the amount of paperwork that they face as data can be entered and processed electronically. There is no longer the need to take notes at meetings and then enter them onto a company’s system on returning to the office – this can be done at the time of the meeting, freeing up time at the office to focus on other more important tasks. By finalising tasks throughout the day when they would otherwise not be able to do so until they returned to the office, this can enable staff to finish tasks quicker, helping to address and improve their work/life balance.

Five steps to mobile working

Businesses of all sizes know that, in order to compete in the modern world, they need to be efficient and flexible. T-Mobile is urging businesses to embrace the mobile working practices made increasingly possible by new technology.

One obstacle that many businesses face is that they often do not know where to start. There are simply so many devices, services and tariffs that it is easy to get confused about the options. The solution, as with most aspects of business, is to create a plan. This plan should evolve and grow with the business and help ensure that it really sees the promised benefits in terms of productivity and efficiency. Among the aspects that should be covered are:

The need to define project responsibility. Who will be driving the mobile implementation forward and assuming control of the project? Who will be responsible for liaising with relevant units and departments including IT? The appointment of a key stakeholder, person or group is critical to the success of the project. Without a driving force, the plan will falter and fail.

Assess current working practices. The plan needs to formally consider who will actually benefit from use of the mobile devices and how mobile working will actually help people do their jobs. There needs to be consideration as to which information needs to be accessed remotely. Is it just data or voice, or is it a combination of the two services? Do users need access to the company database, or just access to personal and professional contacts, calendar information and/or email?

A review of the current mobile activity and an assessment of the types and costs of mobile devices available.

Training the people who will actually be using the devices. User support, as well as a clear policy on mobile working, are critical.

Finally, there should be an agreed criteria by which the success or otherwise of the strategy is assessed. What are they?

Planning for and adopting mobile working may seem like significant extra work for businesses to undertake. But developing a carefully thought-out plan will pay dividends in the future. Indeed, it is a vital first step towards making progress in the international economy, where business is done anywhere, at any time.

Summary

The desire for a country to preserve any legislation that maintains its competitive edge is clearly understandable. Countries no longer find themselves competing with others that are simply in the same geographical area. They compete in a global marketplace, where every country in the world is a potential competitor. As such, a competitive advantage of any sort will be fiercely defended. However, it is also clear to see why other Member States of the same Union would want any such competitive advantage removed, ensuring that there is a level playing field for all members.

It is T-Mobile’s belief that whilst mobile working is not the entire solution to such complex and emotive issues, it is one step in the right direction, and can help bridge the gap that currently splits the EU Member States.

With a decision regarding the UK’s opt-out of the EU Working Time Directive still hanging in the balance, businesses must examine ways in which they can reduce staff working hours whilst retaining and even improving productivity. A move to adopt mobile working will assist in ensuring all goals are achieved.