Smart working sounds like coworking. Do the two have anything in common? Certainly the fact that people work most effectively in a friendly space that they have chosen themeselves, and not necessarily at the desk. So what exactly is smart working?
The concept of smartness has been attached to many different things recently, and has become a byword for current trends and a new way of thinking. Intelligent homes, systems, telephones, transportation… all of these things have undergone a process of modernisation to make lives easier. Being online at all times is a necessity these days;m any people complain, but thanks to the fact that as employees we are now always available, it is easier for employers to adopt a flexible model of working. Most importantly, it is changing the way employers measure the effectiveness of the actions of their employees, realizing that the eight hours spent at a desk does not always translate into productivity. Smart working is an attempt to seek alternatives to the old model.
Smart working is a model of team management, where the emphasis is on results, not the physical presence at the desk and the number of hours worked. The advantages of this solution are improved innovation, productivity and employee satisfaction. Research carried out by different companies, including Deloitte (Millennial Survey), suggest that flexibility in the workplace is the primary asset, especially for generation Y. Long working hours are not conducive to productivity and creativity, on the contrary – they inhibit them.
Smart working is also a way to manage a team by encouraging creativity, unlocking energy reserves and unleashing its full potential. This is achieved by offering employees freedom of choice as to how and where they work. With this philosophy more people can work in a space organized to suit their needs. According to smart working – work occurs not only an office or at a desk but also in the space in which we live every day – and work should adapt to the life of the employee and the other way round. By introducing this way of thinking to their company, employers are looking for solutions that allow them to, for example, divide office spaces into different zones adapted to specific tasks. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?