Citrix Systems country manager, Chris Norton, launched the company?s Flexible Working campaign in Johannesburg last week, outlining what it entails, as well as discussing the benefits it brings to both the organization and its workforce.
According to Norton, Flexible Working was spawned in the UK, and UK business is leading this revolution, where employees may work from anywhere at any time, having on-demand, always-connected, access to their company?s network, without compromising security. The campaign was first launched by Citrix in the UK to coincide with the UK government?s decision to legislate flexible working.
"Work is no longer defined as a place that you have to be at, but rather as something that you do, as long as you have reliable and secure access to the Internet," Norton stresses.
The South African fishbowl type management style, says Norton, is counter-productive, and Citrix believes that it is time that companies realize that the performance and quality of an individual?s work should not be based on a time-and-attendance model, but rather on a productivity and deliverables model. According to the company, in order to be successful, an enterprise needs flexible processes, working practices and technology infrastructure.
Citrix believes that companies do not need to replace existing application systems, but rather revamp them, so that they can be more flexible. Norton says having an access strategy or policy is an essential starting point for infrastructure definition - integrating data and business processes that lead to a more agile business.
He says that the Citrix Access Suite 4.0 technology - to be launched in the next month - contains the company?s ?smart access capability? - said to be one of eight capabilities which will make flexible IT infrastructure a reality. The campaign, along with the new technology to support it, will be brought to customers through Citrix? usual channel partners and resellers.
"As with most process-changing initiatives, before introducing a flexible working policy, a number of aspects have to be considered. These include the need for change management, the costs involved in securing and upgrading IT infrastructure, and the expenses of new computer hardware to ensure that employees have the correct tools to work from a remote site," he adds.
"Citrix wants to pioneer this thinking of flexible working in SA," says Norton, who believes that companies will benefit greatly from the flexible working principle, by giving employees mobile access.
In conclusion, Norton says that the question that comes to mind now is: "Are South African companies ready to change their views on the subject of flexible working - is it a matter of shifting current perceptions, or are the practical implications a barrier to its adoption?"