Microsoft-commissioned survey has shown huge support for the concept of flexible working in European businesses, with an average of 82% of firms allowing it.

However, although both employers and employees are enthusiastic about the benefits of flexible working – which can include higher productivity, a better work-life balance, improved staff retention and greatly reduced travel – there is a gap between perception and reality.

Too few companies give clear guidelines for flexible working or provide the technology to make it happen, while many employees are not aware of the flexible working options available to them.

In the UK, many companies are reluctant to permit flexible working, partly due to issues over employee trust (although few would openly admit this).

However, the recent London Olympics was an opportunity for a number of organisations to trial flexible working; it remains to be seen how many will introduce this policy long-term.

Anywhere Working is a network created by Microsoft and interested businesses which aims to share best practice on flexible working. It initially grew out of discussions with the Department for Transport about congestion, rising fuel costs and, in particular, transport issues around the Olympics.

“We realised there was common ground between their transport concerns and our discussions of flexible working,” says Microsoft’s unified communications product manager Steve Tassell.

“So we put together a campaign to raise awareness of the benefits of flexible working.”

Anywhere Working isn’t just about home working, although the ability to work at home is a key component.

It is about equipping employees to be productive wherever they are, thereby allowing their work time to fit around their circumstances.

According to a recent Microsoft seminar, 87% of people have worked from home, 37% have worked from the car and 26% in a hotel.

Microsoft claims that one-third of the world’s workforce will be mobile by 2013.

If you want to enable employees to work productively wherever they are, you need to provide them with the tools to do so.

Laptops, internet connection, smartphones and remote access to server-based resources (such as customer accounts or documents) is the minimum they will require.

Employees can use their own devices, but standardisation and a thought-through approach about the technology necessary to work well, and any security issues surrounding data, is preferable.

Microsoft recommends a cloud-based computing model, where all company resources are held securely online, with email, SharePoint (document collaboration) and Link (its video-conferencing technology) available to workers wherever they are.

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