Berne, 30 January 2013, 14:00

SBB and Swisscom test traffic relief impact of new work practices

Swisscom and SBB are conducting a pilot study entitled "WorkAnywhere" to test whether flexible working models might relieve traffic congestion during peak hours while also enhancing employee satisfaction. As a part of this study, some 250 employees of the two companies will restrict their commutes to non-peak hours whenever possible. The study will be scientifically conducted and evaluated.

Some 250 SBB and Swisscom employees are participating in the "WorkAnywhere" pilot study. Whenever possible during February and March, they will arrange their workday in such a way that their commutes to and from work do not fall within peak hours. The participants have the IT tools needed for mobile working - whether from home or while travelling to and from their place of work.

"We're interested in finding out whether greater flexibility in employees' daily work could actually have the potential of improving the distribution of commuters on trains," says Bernhard Meier, interim Head of Communication & Public Affairs at SBB. SBB and Swisscom are convinced that flexible work arrangements and home offices could boost employee satisfaction and efficiency.

Apart from evaluating the potential impact, both companies also hope to gain insights into which factors in employees' working environments promote flexible working and which hurdles employees face. "We've been able to gain some good experience with flexible working models over the past few years. The study offers us a great opportunity to find out more precisely just what impact mobile working has on teamwork for instance," says Urs Schaeppi, CEO of Swisscom Switzerland.

The study will be scientifically conducted and evaluated by a team from the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) and the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts. "We want to document the concrete impact of the new approach to work on employees' travel habits, productivity and satisfaction as well as the culture and leadership within the company," explains Prof. Dr. Hartmut Schulze, Head of the Institute for Research and Development of Collaborative Processes at FHNW. "We'll do that on the basis of daily information provided by participants in their online travel diaries, interviews as well as a before-and-after comparison." Initial results are expected this coming June.

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