HAMPSHIRE County Council is getting ready to take the next steps in its drive toward creating a more flexible workforce.

Earlier in the year, the council was awarded the contract to pilot a new project called Matisse - Mobile and Teleworking Initiative for a Smarter South-East.

It seeks to improve understanding of the economic, social and environmental benefits of mobile and home-working.

A number of small and medium-sized enterprises have also been involved in the scheme, which was funded by the South-East England Development Agency.

For the past six months, about 100 volunteer staff, drawn from the county council and participating businesses, have worked at least two days per week away from their office, either from home or at another location.

Detailed records have been kept throughout the study to assess its success, including information about the cost and time spent travelling, productivity levels and staff well-being.

The findings from this project, which comes to a close this month, will form the basis of a best-practice toolkit that will act as a guide for Hampshire County Council, SMEs and other businesses and organisations who plan to introduce more flexible technology-enabled working practices.

The toolkit will be handed out to delegates at the eHampshire Conference 2006 on Tuesday, November 7, at Winchester Guildhall. The conference will include a review of the Matisse pilot by project manager, Tony Corbin, and interviews with several participants.

Executive county concillor for economic development, Michael Woodhall, said: "I'm looking forward to hearing about the experiences of the volunteers who have taken part in this exciting project, which promises to change the way many people work.

"Flexible working should provide many positive results that the county council is keen to support. Employees would benefit from a better balance between their work and home commitments. Heavy traffic at the start and end of the day could be significantly reduced, with fewer people coming into work at the same time, which would also lower the impact heavy travel has on the environment.

"Flexible working also better meets the demands from businesses that operate outside the nine-to-five norm".

"The impact of flexible working, the principle of which is well-established and accepted, will be wide and all-encompassing and I am glad that Hampshire County Council is paving the way for change."

Full details of the eHampshire Conference and the Matisse pilot may be found at www.hants.gov.uk/matisse.