Will Hutton interview/Microsoft Office Efficiency Guide, for Microsoft, distributed to the general public in early 2005 with the national press

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Getting the balance right: technology innovation meets self-discipline
An interview with Will Hutton, chief executive of The Work Foundation

Work Foundation is the great-grandchild of the Industrial Welfare Society, formed in 1919 to promote better treatment of young men and women by their employers following the First World War when working conditions for many employees were deplorable.

When Will Hutton, former editor of The Observer and author of The State We're In, took over the charity three years ago, re-launching it as The Work Foundation, he was determined to stay true to this original mission, yet making the organisation's activities more relevant to 21st century workplaces. This included promoting practices such as flexible working, teleworking and the right for UK citizens to have a better work-life balance.

Research commissioned by The Work Foundation in May 2003, in association with Employers for Work-Life Balance, found that nearly three-quarters of full-time workers wanted to spend more time with their families, and that over a third of full-time and part-time workers were so exhausted when they got home from work that they did little more than fall asleep on the sofa.

But what does Hutton feel is key to achieving a better balance at a personal level? Sue Norris found out.

SN: Tell me more about the Work Foundation.

WH: We're striving to promote working environments that are fun and fulfilling, on the basis that if the work place isn't right, that isn't conducive to producing getting the best from people. We provide research, advice and consultancy, and try to disseminate best practices to anyone who agrees with what we're trying to do.

SN: What are the biggest issues that senior managers and senior executives have today when it comes to managing their time?

WH: ITC [information technology and communications] is a double-edged sword. While it permits you to do more, efficiently, often the scopes of people's jobs are enlarged accordingly. When information comes rushing at you as it does today, and you've constantly got a full inbox on your Blackberry, or voicemails that need to be checked, you have to be able prioritise.

I believe we're just at the beginning of an information revolution, which will lead to the transformation of every business process. Today, we have one leg in the old way of working, and one in the new.

SN: What issues do senior executives and managers need to resolve to achieve a better quality of life for themselves?

WH: There is no magic bullet, but there are some golden rules. Whether you're running an organisation or are on a rung lower down the ladder, you need to keep in mind your primary business goals. If you keep these firmly in mind, this will provide a helpful compass when you come to prioritising the tasks that lie ahead. What tends to happen in a lot of cases is that people let their diaries be driven by other people, when they need to take charge and organise their own workloads.

I use a combination of technology and old-fashioned pen and paper, and keep a running 'to do' list, under a series of headings. I re-evaluate this continuously over a 6-8 week period, as priorities change. One of the things you have to remember is that you can enlist technology to help you do your work more effectively, but it won't do the job for you.

SN: Is technology more of a hindrance than a help, then?

WH: Well, people love the Blackberry, but I hear that many also find it invasive. It's easy to imagine it's helping you to get things done, but if you're checking your inbox every 15 minutes, how can you be focusing on what you're doing? I've been in board meetings where practically everyone had a handheld device beside them, checking messages and tapping back replies. That's bad etiquette as far as I'm concerned. [Later in the interview, Will admits to having just broken his own rule on this, having read an email that came in as we were chatting…he sounds suitably ashamed]

SN: So what do you consider to be a genuine step forwards in technology when it comes to making people's jobs easier?

WH: The great thing about new technology is when it allows organisations to be porous, and to co-ordinate activities between people across and even between companies. This makes everyone more efficient, and enables organisations to be more agile when responding to customers' changing needs. We're only at the beginning of what's possible, though. In future, we'll see new forms of business organisation, new relationships across the supply chain, and unprecedented customer relationships.

SN: And on a personal productivity level?

WH: In my own experience, it's tools that allow you to use your car as an office - such as voice recognition technology that lets you access your 'to do' list via your mobile phone. I also don't think people use email flagging features enough. My inbox is absolutely open to my PA who flags up messages for my attention. Inbox management is very important these days - I have three different email addresses and can receive 100 or more emails a day, to the point where I'm stunned by it. But I still think that, in many cases, the phone or a face-to-face meeting is often best. Email can reinforce these media, but shouldn't be seen as a replacement.

There is no way that I could manage my working life without technology, but I have also learnt that self-discipline is just as important as having good tools. It's absolutely imperative that you are sovereign over your work, and that you use technology to facilitate this. For example, technology today makes it possible for you to leave work at 4.30pm if you have a family commitment, and then resume work later, from home.

But I would add a word of caution about doing too much from home. If I could live my life again, this is something I would do differently. It's tempting to think that the ability to work from home is liberating, but those who choose to telework often go back to an office life eventually, as they find it easier to leave work behind at the end of the day. If you are at home, but buried in your office all the time, what kind of message is that sending out to your family regarding where they rank in your priorities?

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