SEEDA explains why the South East has become a hot spot for home working

It may sound too good to be true but the realities of being able to lead a life that allows for flexible working are now within reach. Imagine. No stressful, time-consuming journey to and from work, no travel expenses, and most importantly, an extra hour in bed!

 

In the South East, in particular, Broadband has been hailed as the means of deliverance and the real possibility of Broadband Internet access is now within the reach of virtually everyone. The South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) supports the universal availability of Broadband at or near to home, creating opportunities for flexible working throughout the region.

 

SEEDA Chairman, Jim Brathwaite CBE, explains, "The take up of Broadband services and the application of the latest technologies is critical for the sustainable growth and competitiveness of the South East. Remote working is an essential element for our developing economy. It allows our workforce to manage its time more effectively, while gaining an important work-life balance, enabling more quality time with families. Take up by individuals and creating open access points in the local community will be crucial in opening up the possibilities for remote working."

 

Community Broadband Grants have afforded hundreds of homes in rural areas, such as Steeple Claydon in Buckinghamshire, the opportunity to work from home, freeing them up from the daily commute.

Robin Ockendon, employee of BP now works from home via a Virtual Private Network (VPN), he explains, "Our company is positively encouraging staff to work from home, reducing the amount of time lost in travelling and improving the quality of life for its employees. Reliable high-speed connectivity into the company's computer network is essential to enable this method of working to be successful. Village Network, backed by funding from SEEDA, has provided our community with high quality broadband service, enabling me to enjoy a rural lifestyle whilst being fully effective in my job."

 

A recent report from the UK Teleworking Association and the RAC Foundation suggests that average commuters add nearly five weeks to their working year simply travelling to work! Some workers in the South East are not only adding as much as a third to their working lives, but they are also spending up to one third of their incomes funding it.

 

Of course, if fewer people had to travel, it would reduce the amount of traffic on the roads and therefore help tackle pollution. The environmental and social benefits of remote working were recently explored in-depth by SustainIT, the information and communication technology unit of the UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development (UK CEED).

 

Its two-year SusTel (Sustainable Teleworking) study, which involved research in five European countries and included 30 case studies and six surveys of teleworkers, found that staff working away from the office commonly enjoyed a better quality of life, felt healthier, and worked more effectively than their office-based colleagues.

 

The study also found that remote workers spent less time on sick leave, experienced improved personal relationships and became more involved in community activities.

Environmentally, the impacts of remote working were generally found to have a positive impact on transport and air quality (through less travel and traffic emissions), and energy and resource consumption in the cases where office equipment and building design were carefully considered.