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Work Wise UK: Millions To Stay Away From Work For A Day
(M2 PressWIRE Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)
RDATE:12032008
In what could be the largest mass absence from work for a generation,
an estimated five million people will not be coming in to work on
Thursday, May 15. None of them will be making excuses. And none of
their employers will be accusing them of skiving.
For the third year, a day in May has been chosen as National Work from
Home Day. Led by the likes of BT and Transport for London, and with the
approval of organisations such as the TUC, CBI and British Chambers of
Commerce, employers and staff around the UK are being encouraged to
work from home that day, so that everyone can experience the benefits.
National Work from Home Day is organised by Work Wise UK, a national
not-for-profit initiative to promote "smarter" working practices - such
as flexible, remote and mobile working, and working from home. It aims
to give half the working population, some 14 million, the opportunity
to work smarter by 2011.
"This is not a day off to those participating," said Phil Flaxton,
Chief Executive of Work Wise UK,. "It's the chance for hard-working,
open-minded people to demonstrate that without the stress induced by
the workplace environment, with the often long commute many have to
endure, people can be even more productive by occasionally working from
home.
"We say, you lose nothing by trying it out, and you may be surprised by
the positive impact of the experiment."
The day marks the start of Work Wise Week, running until Wednesday, May
21, consisting of a number of themed days and events beyond the first:
Friday May 16 will focus upon the significant positive impact smarter
working can have on the environment both in terms of the reduced need
to travel and also a longer term reduction in resources and
infrastructure to support a smarter working workforce.Weekend May 17/18
will be Wise Work Weekend, a consumer-focused initiative to provide
guidance and help to those people who would like to work smarter.
Monday May 19 will look at the transport impacts of smarter working. A
fall in the need to travel, and the staggered time of travel, resulting
from smarter working will significantly help in solving the problems of
traffic congestion and overcrowding of public transport.
Tuesday May 20 will focus upon employee benefits and social impacts of
smarter working in terms of improving work-life balance, leisure and
family benefits, and the knock-on effects on health and relationships.
Various organisations with interests in these aspects will be involved
in the day, both nationally and in the regions. The emphasis will be
upon promoting a better work-life balance - working smarter, living
better.
Wednesday May 21 will be the last day of Work Wise Week and will
feature the Work Wise Summit at the QEII Conference Centre in London.
The summit will cover many of the elements of smarter working through a
series of keynote speeches and panel discussions, including
organisations such as TUC, the AA, BT and Transport for London. The
emphasis will be upon making the UK more competitive in the face of
growing economies in Asia, enabling a second industrial revolution to
make the UK one of the most progressive economies in the world. Further
information about Work Wise Week and the events planned for the
individual days will be issued to the media over the coming weeks.
Media resources and information, and a facility enabling journalists to
receive updates on the campaign, can be found at
www.workwiseuk.pressrooms.net.
Further information about Work Wise UK can be found on the website
(www.workwiseuk.org).
Issued on behalf of Work Wise UK by Chelgate Limited Notes to editors:
--Work Wise UK is organised by the IT Forum Foundation, a
not-for-profit organisation.
--Supporters of the Work Wise UK campaign include the CBI, TUC, the
British Chambers of Commerce, BT, Transport for London, Equal
Opportunities Commission, Scope, the RAC Foundation, Institution of
Occupational Safety and Health, Technology Means Business, Henley
Management College and the Association for Commuter Transport.
--A dedicated electronic media centre has been established for
journalists to obtain further information, to download print-quality
materials, and to register for media updates about Work Wise UK. This
can be accessed either through the main website or directly at
www.workwiseuk.pressrooms.net.
--Further information about Work Wise UK can be found on the website
www.workwiseuk.org.
--Transport for London (TfL) promotes smarter working to help manage
demand on the capital's transport network. To support employers with
practical guidance on creating, implementing and improving smarter
working within their organisations, a new Smarter Working Guide for
employers is now available -
http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/roadusers/sustainable-travel/useful-resources.
aspx --BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications
solutions and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal
activities include networked IT services; local, national and
international telecommunications services; higher-value broadband and
internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile products and
services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT Global
Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.
--In the year ended 31 March 2007, BT Group plc's revenue was 20,223
million with profit before taxation of 2,484 million.
--British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of
BT Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT
Group. BT Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New
York. For more information, visit www.bt.com/aboutbt
CONTACT: Roy Turner, Work Wise UK, Chelgate PR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7939 7939
Tel: +44 (0)7970 522232
e-mail: rt@chelgate.com
Michael Hardware, Chelgate PR
Tel: +44 (0)20 7939 7939
Tel: +44 (0)77 7592 5274
e-mail: meh@chelgate.com
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Copyright ? 2008 M2 Communications Ltd.
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