Work from home campaign is launched in North

Feb 7 2007 By Ross Smith, The Journal

A pioneering campaign aimed at radically changing how people in the North-East work will be officially launched tomorrow.

Work Wise North-East aims to scrap the traditional nine-to-five day and encourage flexible working, mobile working, remote working and working from home.

It is the first regional campaign to be set up based on the national Work Wise UK initiative, a five-year programme launched last May.

Public and private sector bosses will kickstart the campaign - which is backed by The Journal - at the Beamish Hall Hotel in Stanley, County Durham, tomorrow.

Work Wise North-East has attracted support from leading organisations in the region including One NorthEast, Government Office North-East, North-East Chamber of Commerce, the TUC and CBI.

Speakers will set out the objectives of the campaign explain how flexible working will boost business productivity, reduce transport congestion and pollution, and help staff juggle their family commitments. Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK said: "Our rigid work structure is dictated by culture. It wastes time and resources, damages the environment, causes stress and harms health, and is actually largely unnecessary considering the technology available today.

"Wide adoption of smarter working practices is an obvious answer to four of the main issues facing our economy today, so obvious that it is being missed by many. The four issues are competitiveness, the environment, road congestion and quality of life."

NECC chief executive James Ramsbotham said: "Work Wise is not just about better staff practices, it is also about better business. We see tremendous benefits for the customer service we provide to our 4,400 members by adopting these new practices.

"Work Wise is a way for businesses to take a lead in demonstrating what should be done to address the needs of 21st century business, and NECC will take a proactive lead in the bid to help many more businesses of all sizes to take up the Work Wise mantle."

The North-East has seen the number of people working from home grow by more than 56% since 1999. Almost 50,000 workers are now based at or regularly work from home. TUC regional secretary Kevin Rowan said: "Flexible working offers a range of opportunities for workers and businesses."