Tom O'Hara: How home working can help Scotland weather more storms

The recent lengthy spell of bad weather has caused more than just a plague of new potholes - it has shown in no uncertain terms that our economy is dangerously dependent on the traditional commute.

If staff cannot get to work, businesses and organisations across all sectors struggle to operate. For years we have worried about growing congestion, with various lobby groups demanding more roads, longer trains, faster trains, better buses and now new bridges. All of this new infrastructure may help us go further, faster. But it does not mean we will be more able to get to work if the weather is bad more frequently. And it is not just snow and ice; torrential rain and floods are also on the rise.

If our economy is to avoid becoming hostage to the elements, policymakers and businesses should promote and invest in - at a strategic level - much wider adoption of home working. The UK claims to have one of the most flexible labour markets in the European Union. It may be flexible in terms of legislation, but it is quite clearly inflexible when the vast majority of staff cannot work if the weather turns!

Home-working is playing an increasingly important role in the UK economy. According to Work Wise, a not-for-profit organisation that aims to encourage smarter working practices, the UK has about 3.1 million home-workers, or 11 per cent of the working population. Work Wise thinks this figure could be extended to about 50 per cent within five years.

To date, the growth in home working has been driven mainly by individuals electing to set up small home-based businesses, or larger businesses using technology to establish home-based workforces. The call centre and data processing industries are good examples.

But if the Scottish Government and the business community collectively embraced home working as a strategic policy issue, we could see a dramatic impact on the economy.

The problem is that in Scotland there is an expectation that we should be able to commute and travel on business without any significant or sustained interruptions. Whatever your view on global warming, we are almost certainly going to face harsh winters again and further disruption to the economy.

Rather than battle the elements, our businesses and organisations need to be much better equipped to provide their staff with the facilities to work away from the office. The technology is already there, and it is not expensive. What is perhaps lacking is the recognition that home working is a valid and viable option to the commute.

Arguably we suffer from a "presenteeism" culture in this country where, if you are away from the office, it is assumed you are not working.In fact, the opposite usually applies - research shows that staff working from home are more productive, focused and efficient.

Much wider adoption of home working would be a cost-effective way of keeping a business working through any interruptions, maintaining customer service and keeping sales ticking over. Flexible working would also help retain highly trained staff if their individual circumstances changed. Companies could promote home working as a benefit to new recruits.

Scotland's working population is just short of 2.5 million. Based on the Work Wise UK statistics of the number of UK home workers, we can assume at least 275,000 Scots work from home. Doubling that figure to 550,000 would have a dramatic effect on congestion, commuting costs and productivity.

Using figures from the Labour Force Survey, the TUC has calculated that 339 million worth of working time is spent travelling to and from work every day in the UK - and about 40m in Scotland.

If you add in the enormous cost to the economy of the recent weather, there is a compelling argument to encourage and help businesses embrace home working in a strategic manner rather than as a last resort. It would be good to see the Scottish Government, Scottish Enterprise and all the business organisations work together to promote home working.

We are seeing a rise in enquiries from clients interested in flexible working. They recognise that flexible working could keep them in business and give them a competitive advantage. We need to see that mindset adopted across the whole of Scotland.

• Tom O'Hara is regional managing director of TSG, the IT services business.