National Telework Week at UB
29 October 2012
The University of Ballarat will participate in events and host a special forum for National Telework week, November 12 – 16.
Telework constitutes flexible work practices where an employee works regularly at a location other than the work office, such as a home office, and uses the latest information and communications technologies to stay connected with work colleagues, clients and work managers.
Telework is gaining wider acceptance in Australia as the nation’s economy changes and many of its industries have become ‘knowledge-based’, requiring a workforce that is skilled, educated, highly productive, mobile and flexible.
Advances in the availability of mobile and computing technologies enables greater uptake of telework. Similarly, increased broadband connectivity through the Australian government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) and digital economy strategies, offers improved technology resources that will further support telework arrangement. The Australian Government’s Department of Broadband, Communications and Digital Economy anticipates these advances will lead to a doubling of Australia’s telework arrangements to 12% by 2020.
The University of Ballarat (UB) is a strong advocate of flexible work practices, including telework, and recognises the benefits associated with such arrangements including increased job satisfaction for employees, reduced operational cost, improved workforce productivity and innovation, and increased retention levels and reductions in employee absenteeism.
UB’s commitment to telework has seen it establish a working group for telework. Throughout 2012 this group has been examining existing practices and future strategies to support teleworking opportunities. The working group plans to extend policies and identify good practice models to provide UB employees with appropriate advice and support about telework. Complementing this, UB has established a deeper understanding of current employee work practices in collaboration with the Centre for eCommerce and Communications (CeCC) to spatially map residential and campus locations for over 1000 staff to identify the commute times for employee travel to and from their workplace. This information provides new insights to help UB work with staff and supervisors to facilitate telework effectively in the future. View the UB commute visualisation.
The Director for CeCC Dr Helen Thompson will participate in the National Telework Congress in Melbourne on 12-13 November. In her capacity as National Broadband Champion Dr Thompson will meet with Senator Stephen Conroy and other Champions and will share insights on how local and national programs, including National Telework Week, are generating benefits for Australian communities and businesses.
CeCC is also involved in a range of projects that support telework. The Central Highlands Digital Enterprise project, funded by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and Grampians Regional Development Australia, is providing public awareness and skills development through training and advice for small-to-medium enterprises, not-for-profit organisations and local cultural institutions about the NBN. In September, and as part of this project, Jon Dee, one of Australia’s most influential thinkers on the environment conducted a workshop to explore the regional advantages associated with increased telework participation.
UB will also be facilitating a breakfast forum on telework to be held at the Greenhill Enterprise Centre on 20 November. Guest speaker is Timothy Fawcett, General Manager, Government Affairs and Policy and Vertical Leader for Cisco Systems Australia. Timothy is a member of the Australian Government’s advisory panel on telework and will be sharing his knowledge and insights about the telework revolution at this forum.
For more information on National Telework Week, visit the website: http://www.telework.gov.au/
To attend the business breakfast with Timothy Fawcett, contact Greenhill Enterprise Centre: T: (03) 5327 9893 or Email: j.anson@ballarat.edu.au
For more information about CeCC, contact Dr Thompson email: h.thompson@ballarat.edu.au or visit: www.cerdi.edu.au