Smart working is key to future success, says CIPD

A "smart working" approach is needed to create a positive impact on business performance, according to new research.

A survey by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development revealed that nine out of 10 respondents believed a new approach to workplace organisation can have a real impact on an organisation's effectiveness.

However, statistics also showed that despite 87 per cent of respondents believed smart working is a thoroughly modern phenomenon, and the survey found that any progress was still in its infancy and the working lives of most employees are still a long way from being "smart".

Mike Emmott, employee relations adviser for the CIPD, said: "Our research shows smart working holds the key. But there is still a significant job of work to be done. It is about much more than implementing flexible working, hot-desking or new IT systems. Smart working is about a fundamental change to the assumptions that shape the working relationship.

"Organisations are beginning to provide their people with a greater level of autonomy, choice and freedom than we have seen before. Offering employees increased autonomy in job roles is one of the smart working interventions most frequently reported by respondents to our survey."

The guide outlined four areas of focus or levels that organisations must apply to achieve smart working, referred to as the 'four pillars' of smart working - including management values, high-performance work practices, physical working environment and enabling technology.

However, although the drive for a new attitude in business, the report also revealed that organisations are at different points on the smart working spectrum and it is still an aspiration rather than a reality.