Salford City Council has introduced home working for benefits and revenues staff. Sixty of its staff now work from home, which represents over a third of the workforce involved in these services. This has resulted in a 29 per cent reduction in sickness and a 15 per cent increase in productivity.
The main driver for the Salford initiative was to utilise new technology, while at the same time, improving efficiency and providing more choice and flexibility for staff. Pressures on accommodation have eased and this has improved the environment that office-based staff work in.
Salford City Council achieved Beacon status for its benefit service in 2004/05. Further details on these and other initiatives can be found on the Salford City Council website.
In relation to the Efficiency Challenge, what potential barriers did they encounter?
- risk aversion
- partnerships
- staffing issues
- external pressures