Email this newsletter to a friend
In association with
www.freshbusinessthinking.com
Welcome
Flexible working can impact positively on the bottom line and is no longer the preserve of large organisations.
BT Business brings you Smarter Working, a special report setting out the challenges, the solutions and best practice examples of how harnessing flexible working practices can revolutionise your business.
With the right combination of secure infrastructure, systems and support, any organisation, regardless of size, can now ensure its employees can work together effectively, wherever they are.
Find out how, here...
Bill Murphy | Managing Director, BT Business
In this Issue
List of Advertisers
Latest Business News
Latest TV
Desperately Seeking Finance (2 of 3)
Mike Conroy, HSBC looks at what is...
Play Video >
Duration: 00:12:16
Advertisement
ADD YOUR LISTING FOR FREE IN THE UK’S ONLY SME BUSINESS DIRECTORY
UK Business Directory is the latest addition to Freshbusinessthinking.com: an online business resource aimed squarely at the SME market.
Click here if you want to get your company in front of this targeted and highly receptive audience.
Article
Working Flexibly In Today's Networked World
By Bill Murphy, Managing Director, BT Business
At BT Business we find businesses, customers and employees are demanding greater flexibility in order to thrive in this increasingly networked world. The traditional nine to five, Monday to Friday routine is no more and instead flexibility, agility and responsiveness have become the watchwords for the way we do business today.
With the contribution of £180 billion* to the UK economy from employees working outside traditional nine-to-five hours (the equivalent to the total annual output of London), the UK workforce is recognised as one of the hardest working in the world. The number of people working non-traditional hours will hit 35 per cent by 2027, with the "five-to-nine" economy doubling
Advertisement
Written by entrepreneurs, for entrepreneurs.
We’d like to invite you to share your experiences, knowledge and expertise with our community of owners, directors and entrepreneurs from small-to-medium sized companies.
To submit articles to our editorial team for consideration please send between 400 and 1,000 words to: editor@freshbusinessthinking.com - All articles are vetted and if approved will be posted live to the site.
Article
Are You Making The Most Of Mobile Working?
By Alex Bottomley, GM, Mobility, BT Business
Flexible working and mobile working have been buzz terms in British business for a few years now. For many businesses, the idea that they can operate from a single office or site is long gone. They need to be able to work flexibly to meet the needs of their customers and compete in the market.
Interestingly, the first sparks of mobile working came from office managers, facilities management experts and estate developers under pressure to make the most of office space. Seeing the benefits that new technology could bring, HR departments then took up the baton of developing flexible and mobile working practices.
Yet what is now apparent is that mobile working
Advertisement
Save money, save time & promote your business with Pitney Bowes
• Never run out of stamps – order your postage by phone in just under a minute.
• No more time consuming trips out of the office to buy stamps.
• Use the exact postage every time – no more over stamping to ‘ensure it gets there’.
• Promote your business – put your logo or company name on every letter you send.
• Mail standard letters, packages and even recorded and special delivery.
Click here for a free 30 day trial.
“…In just one day the machine has reversed a lifetime of inefficient postal practice. The mail gets sorted fast, correct postage, instantly calculated and with the customer next day…”
J Terence D Webber
Managing Director – H Webber & Sons Ltd
Article
Flexible Working Boosts Your Business
Flexible working is becoming increasingly possible due to improvements in mobile technologies and new workplace policies. Employees and businesses across the UK are making the most of these new developments. Communicating with other staff, suppliers and clients has never been so easy, wherever you are.
For those with family commitments, flexible working, working at home and part-time working are often a better option than 9-5 office based jobs. At present, anyone with children aged six or under is entitled to request flexible working opportunities from their employer; employers are obliged to consider and cannot refuse unless they can demonstrate compelling business reasons why it is not appropriate.
Many employers who have instigated flexible working practices to
Advertisement
Identity fraud is on the increase and is the UK’s fastest growing crime. According to the Cabinet Office, identity fraud costs the UK at least £1.3bn every year and is one of the more difficult frauds to combat.
The trouble with a successful fraud is that both consumers and lenders are fooled. Although lenders are employing ever-more sophisticated methods to spot fraudsters, people who are targeted by fraudsters often take up to 14 months to realise they are victims of identity fraud.
When criminals buy goods and services on credit using false information, we all pay through higher prices and more expensive credit terms, even if our own accounts are untouched. And when someone is victimised by a particularly successful scam, criminals are more likely to continue cheating others using similar fraudulent operations.
CreditExpert is an online service offered by Experian that monitors your credit report and alerts you if anything changes.
Click here for a free 30-day trial and a copy of your Experian Credit Report.
Article
Technology Is Enabling People To Work Virtually Anywhere
The world is changing fast and unless businesses in this country rise to the challenges of the new global economy and adopt new working practises, they will miss out.
Flexible working is all about throwing away the traditional nine-to-five mentality. There is no single solution but businesses that embrace flexible working can enjoy reduced costs and on average a 20% productivity gain.
So what are the key factors you should consider when planning how best to adopt new flexible working practices in your business.
The Starting Point
Take a look at what happens now in your business and where you need to make improvements. Do customers complain about how long it takes to get a response? Are your key people out
About Newsletters from Freshbusinessthinking.com
You received this e-mail because you signed up to receive the Virtual Director newsletters or opted in to receive emails from one of our partner companies. If you no longer want to receive this newsletter, unsubscribe here. To manage all of your Freshbusinessthinking.com subscriptions and communication preferences, please visit our membership centre.
Please note that updates may take up to 48 hours to be processed.
If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you'd like to subscribe, sign up here.
Copyright © 2007 Freshbusinessthinking.com. All rights reserved. By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use Agreement.
Fresh Business Thinking Ltd is a company registered in England with Company No. 05709535, 16 Queens Square, Bristol, BS1 4DJ