Shedworkers and employers: the trust factor

"One of the most important features of the future workplace, I believe, will be a strong element of trust between employer and employee," writes Richard Donkin in Uncommon sense: Trust boosts the bottom line for HR magazine. It's an excellent piece on the back of a BT survey which suggests that only 8% of UK companies trust their employees to work away from the office: he argues that offices have become poor places for work that requires concentration and that managers must learn to trust homeworkers.

"These attitudes are costing businesses millions of pounds every year. BT reckons its 70,000 flexible workers, many of whom work from home or out on the road for much of their time, have saved the company £500 million in building costs and led to a 30% rise in productivity. Response times have improved and that means happier customers. Staff are more loyal for being trusted, and people are more likely to stay with the business because they can work flexibly. Who cares if you mow your lawn at 10 in the morning, as long as you shift your workload?"

Well worth a browse.
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