Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+

Flexible workingRecruitment & retention

O2 flexible working day results in 1,000 extra hours worked

by Rob Moss 2 Apr 2012
by Rob Moss 2 Apr 2012

A recent one-day flexible working initiative at O2 resulted in an extra 1,000 hours worked by staff, according to figures released by the telecoms firm.

On 8 February, O2 asked the entire workforce at its head office in Slough to work away from the office for the day. Around 2,500 employees participated in the pilot, operating remotely. O2’s aim was to push the boundaries of what is possible through flexible working and to test its contingency plans to manage expected travel disruption and delays during the Olympics.







O2’s flexible working experiment: the numbers



  • <EMPLOYEES time
  • The majority (52%) of saved commuting time was spent working.
  • 14% was spent on family time.
  • 16% on extra sleeping (hopefully in the morning not during the day!).
  • 88% of participants thought they were at least as productive as normal.
  • 36% claimed to have been more productive.
  • 125 people needed to work from the office that day – only 109 cars entered the car park (against 1,100 on an average day).
  • One person didn’t know anything about the flexible working pilot and arrived for work.

Only 125 mission-critical staff worked in the building on the day. Participating employees saved 2,000 hours of commuting time – the majority (52%) of which was spent working, 16% of people slept a bit longer than usual and 14% spent additional time with their families.

Nine employees in 10 (88%) believed that they were at least as productive as on a normal day at the office, with 36% claiming to have been more productive. In line with the company’s three-year sustainability plan, the experiment also benefitted the environment, with an estimated 12.2 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved.

Ben Dowd, business director for O2, said: “Line managers are used to managing people they can see. Managing them remotely is a completely different thing. Our pilot didn’t solve all of those problems, but it is a good start. We can do a lot more to support line managers in charge of remote teams, but we know it’s not going to happen overnight. We’re educating people about the whole future of work here and there’s still work to be done, but we’re pleased to say this is a fantastic start.”

Ben Dowd is presenting more details of O2’s flexible working experiment in a Personnel Today webinar on 2 May: “London 2012: Is your organisation on track for the Olympics?” – register now.

Rob Moss
Rob Moss

Rob Moss is a business journalist with more than 25 years' experience. He has been editor of Personnel Today since 2010. He joined the publication in 2006 as online editor of the award-winning website. He specialises in labour market economics, gender diversity and family-friendly working. He has hosted hundreds of webinar and podcasts, most recently on the challenges created by the coronavirus pandemic. Before writing about HR and employment he ran news and feature desks on publications serving the global optical and eyewear market, the UK electrical industry, and energy markets in Asia and the Middle East.

previous post
What is flipped learning? Quick-fire links
next post
Occupational health research round-up – April 2012

You may also like

Davos 2022: Upskilling workers necessary to overcome business...

26 May 2022

Burnout afflicts finance sector despite hybrid working

26 May 2022

Maternity leave: Cost of living crisis highlights need...

25 May 2022

Employees resigning in 2022: Survey shows ‘great resignation’...

24 May 2022

Hybrid working trends: ONS data on where people...

23 May 2022

NHS should upskill admin staff to reduce waiting...

23 May 2022

City firms pledge to improve social mobility in...

20 May 2022

Working from home statistics show three-fold increase

20 May 2022

One in five employers planning ‘no jab no...

19 May 2022

Nurses leaving due to pressure and workplace culture

18 May 2022
  • Strathclyde Business School expands its Degree Apprenticeship offer in England PROMOTED | The University of Strathclyde is expanding its programmes...Read more
  • The Search for Talent: Six Major Employer Pitfalls PROMOTED | The Great Resignation continues unabated...Read more
  • Navigating the widening “Skills Confidence Gap” in 2022, and beyond PROMOTED | Cornerstone OnDemand conducted a global study...Read more
  • Apprenticeships are the solution to your recruitment problems PROMOTED | Apprenticeships have the pulling power...Read more
  • What it really means to be mentally fit PROMOTED | What is mental fitness...Read more
  • How music can help to ease anxiety at work PROMOTED | A lot has happened since March 2020, hasn’t it?...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2022

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2022 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
    • Advertise
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Equality, diversity and inclusion
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • Maternity & Paternity
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
    • OHW Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • XpertHR
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Pricing
    • Free trial
    • Subscribe
    • XpertHR USA
  • Webinars
  • OHW+