Over 200,000 British workers will aim for smarter working on Monday as the Summer holiday season begins

On Monday, 24th July, over 200,000 British office workers from 200 different companies will be given the option to work flexibly as part of the Smarter Working Initiative. The campaign claims to encourages companies to give their staff the opportunity to spend one day working from a location that suits them, to show organisations the positive impact of smarter working. Businesses including Purplebricks, RED Driving School, MediaCom and Farfetch are signed up, with Timberyard, Haus and NearDesk offering free coffee and access to over 40 cafes and co-working spaces across London and the UK. The campaign’s own research claims that nearly half of employers (48 percent) do not encourage flexible working, despite 70 percent of workers saying the option would make a job more attractive to them. Over half of workers (53 percent) stated they would be more productive if they could spend some time working out of the office, and the campaign aims to demonstrate how flexible working results in improved wellbeing, increased productivity and faster business growth.

With nearly half of British employees (44%) feeling they don’t spend enough time with family and friends, the Smarter Working Initiative claims it will allow working parents to spend more time with their children on the first day of the school summer holidays.

Jason Downes, Founder of the Smarter Working Initiative, said: “Our aim is to show companies that smarter working has an incredibly positive impact on employees and employers alike. Understanding these business benefits is the first step towards making a change in company culture, so we’re delighted that so many businesses have signed up to embrace flexible working for one day, and will experience the advantages in increased productivity and morale.”

You can sign your company up to the Smarter Working Initiative and get free access the 40+ cafes and co-working spaces on www.smarterworkinginitiative.com