Much of the London 2012 ‘legacy’ talk has been around sport stars and stadia. Will we have an infrastructure for the future, and will the excitement for sporting success remain? We’ll have to wait and see.
Far less, however, has been said about the legacy for British workers. While flexible working arrangements might be the norm in some organisations, they were completely alien to others before the Olympic Games came to town. It’s not entirely inconceivable that London 2012’s legacy could be the release of the British worker from the traditional nine to five.
Windows 8 will be able to be accessed from a computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet – thus playing straight into the hands of the flexible worker, who will be able to further utilise these devices to stay in touch with the office at all times. Gone is the traditional interface seen in previous versions of windows. Instead users are presented with a personalised colourful start screen, incorporating the very latest in touch-screen technology.
Users will click or tap a tile to run an app, view a web page or go to the Windows desktop, which is where all the usual programmes will be found. These developments are further evidence to suggest that technology is being developed in ways that will assist the more mobile workforce of the future, whether they are working parents or simply individuals wanting to ease the burden and expense of a long commute by working at home a couple of times a week.
Companies are under increasing pressure to offer an alternative to the rigid nine to five working structure. Just last week Age UK called for an automatic right for all workers to work flexibly. The charity’s research found that many employees 50 and over were struggling to work conventional hours because they have to care for an older relative or
With more workers of different ages wanting to work flexibly, employers will need to ensure their employees are up to speed with the technology that will allow them to do so in the most efficient way possible. London 2012 may have propelled traditional organisations into the modern world, but it’s technology that has the power to keep them there.
Tommy Moore
CB Learning
