Could the Olympics be set to leave a legacy of employers being more open to flexible working – in the capital at least?

Transport for London (TfL) is aiming to reduce the number of commuter journeys by a third across the capital during the course of the Olympics and Paralympics, and has urged businesses to consolidate their flexible working policies ahead of this summer’s events.

London’s Canary Wharf district, which lies within three miles of 20 Olympic venues, has seen a particularly strong and collaborative focus on flexible working preparations for the 100,000 workers based there.

Financial services firm Citi surveyed the 7,000 employees based in its Canary Wharf office last November to discover how they travelled to work and what their commuting intentions were during the Games.

“We had an excellent response, which showed that about one third of staff wanted to use alternative working strategies, such as remote access or working from home,” said Citi head of business continuity, Nick Emery.

“Just over a third – 37 per cent – said they were unlikely to work from home due to the nature of their job, and the remaining third were unsure of their plans at that time, so we are now doing another survey.”

Emery said the organisation was keen to encourage and accommodate alternative travel arrangements, so would be increasing its bicycle parking and providing extra shower facilities via a tie-up with a local gym.

The company is also promoting the existing technologies available to facilitate remote working within teams. Emma Cashmore, Citi’s head of diversity, EMEA, said she hoped the Olympics would help to create “a legacy” of flexible working.

“Potentially, more managers and employees could want to work flexibly after London 2012,” she said. “If you look at employee engagement and satisfaction, this can be a key way to increase productivity, commitment and loyalty among your employees.”

In line with TfL’s goal, Citi is hoping to reduce the number of staff travelling into the office by 30 per cent – which if replicated throughout Canary Wharf, would equate to 30,000 workers remaining off-site.

This is a target being worked towards by the Canary Wharf Group, which owns and manages the 97 acre estate, home to 30 office buildings and 200 retail and leisure outlets.

Drew Gibson, the group’s business continuity manager, said the company had been briefing all tenants and coordinating meetings and the sharing of ideas between them.

“There is a level of cooperation between the various organisations in their resilience planning that I don’t think has been seen before, and that is something that is going to benefit all staff,” he said.

“Our business continuity team has spent time with the HR and facilities departments in a lot of organisations and set up forums looking at business continuity issues,” Gibson explained, adding that the ability to “communicate and coordinate” will be key to the success of the plans.

The Canary Wharf Group has also been amending construction and delivery timetables, organising extra bike racks and liaising with TfL and the Thames Clipper to provide extra peak-time Jubilee Line services and boat shuttles to London Bridge.

Big screens will be erected in the main park so workers can watch key Olympic events and “be part of the atmosphere”, continued Gibson.

A practice run (“stress test”) will be held across Canary Wharf and the City on 8 and 9 May to coincide with test events at the Olympic Park in east London. The simulation will give employees the opportunity to use alternative transport, work remotely or alter their hours as they would on a Games day, and provide valuable feedback for organisations.

Employers outside of the capital are also preparing. O2 has already undertaken a successful one-day flexible working pilot for the 3,000-strong workforce at its headquarters in Slough, which is in close proximity to the Olympic rowing venue. The initiative resulted in 2,000 hours of commuting time saved, an extra 1,000 hours worked and a significant drop in car, water and electricity usage, the telecommunications company said.