What’s happening?
On Wednesday, O2 is challenging a local small business worker to spend his morning working from a mid-air, outdoor office suspended above Great Eastern Street in Shoreditch, to demonstrate that you really can work anywhere. He’ll go about his business completely as he would if he was at his usual desk – everything will be conducted outdoors.
Why is O2 doing it?
80% of UK workers are now employed by working for a small businesses – success of these organisations are really important, they’re increasingly central to the UK economy, in both driving innovation and creating new employment opportunities.
These businesses have to operate in an increasingly competitive landscape (especially against the backdrop of the recession) – flexible working can cut costs on property rental, bills and also helps small businesses to respond quickly, because their staff is more mobile.
O2 has picked East London for the challenge because the business community in Great Eastern Street, near to Silicon Roundabout, is one of the fastest growing in the UK capital – and it’s fuelled by small businesses.
At the beginning of February, O2 tested flexible working on a giant scale, asking 3,000 employees at its Slough HQ to work flexibly for the day to text to business’ readiness for Olympic disruption – Wednesday’s stunt takes the test to the opposite extreme, proving that with the right tools and technologies, if you’re a small business …you really can work anywhere – whether it’s home, a local cafe or suspended in the London sky!
