A quarter of O2's 12,000-strong workforce will work remotely today (8 February), in what the operator is billing as the UK's biggest ever flexible working pilot.
The operator said it is conducting the pilot as a test scheme ahead of this summer's Olympics. Staff will work from home, cafes, O2 stores or partner offices. The company will share the pilot's findings with other businesses in an attempt to prepare them for the Olympics. The operator cited research from Deloitte that suggested one third of UK businesses will encourage their staff to work remotely this summer.
O2 business director Ben Dowd [pictured] said: 'We believe a cultural steo-change is underway affecting staff and businesses, as work increasingly becomes something we do, rather than a place that we can go. Today's office-wide flexible working initiative is an opportunity for us to take the next step on our flexible working journey and tangibly demonstrate the opportunity and potential available to British businesses today...By sharing experiences from across our businesses, from business divisions to operations, we hope to encourage more organisations to help their workforce become mobile.'