Narrator: The City of Louder is one of the world’s leading business and financial centres. typically, people who work in the City wear traditional business suits and work a conventional office environment. Employee at Arthur Andersen don’t conform to the pin-stripe suit stereotype, and their work space isn’t typical either.

Narrator: At Arthur Andersen they have a working practice called hot-desking, This means that staff don’t have their own desks. They can choose where they want work.

Ian Hallett: Hot-desking allows you to come into the office and sit anywhere you want. You have a computer that enables to sit where you want and plug into network ... into the computer systems .. wherever you want. You are able to log into any telephone. You have your own personal Telephone number.

David Bellringer: We’re moving increasingly away from the traditional formal office environment with people secreted away in their own offices to much more open-plan, more relaxed, more comfortable working environment. It’s a less formal environment People are able to feel more creative, more relaxed. People actually do feel they’re more part of a team.

Broadly, the move is towards less dedicated office space and more flexibility and adaptability.

Ian Hallett: Variety of work space is very good for mental health, and what I choose to do is Actually work in a different place in the office , pretty much every day

David Bellringer: If you have a lower and more comfortable chairs and don’t have formal desk in front of you, it actually makes a process of interacting with each other easier

Narrator: The office space is divided into separate zones. The Zen Zone is a quiet area where staff must work quietly and can’t use any telephones.

David Bellringer: Trying to fid some quiet space for thought and analysis and so on and so forth is very difficult. So the Zen Zone is really just about creating quiet space ... no interruptions ... no telephones, no mobile phones.

Narrator: The flexible approach adopted by Arthur Andersen means that staff don’t have to work nine to five ... they only come to the office when they need to.

Ian Hallett: I probably, on average, do 40 to 50 hours a week, but don’t do that Monday to Friday. could actually spend just two days doing ten hours, and I’ll work two hours for the following two days. I probably spend, maybe, about 30 per cent of my time working at home; I would do this whenever it’s right for my client and right for my job.

Narrator: One major element in the new working practices at Arthur Andersen was the change to an informal dress code.

David Bellringer: I suppose I was a bit stuffy before. In a sense, was largely a three-piece suit man, not even a two-piece, and perhaps with a pocket handkerchief as well. So I approached it with a little bit of trepidation, but I’m not adverse to change, and I grasped it and, you know, consulted my fashion advisor ... that’s Jane, my wife ... and we went ahead to the shop, so you see me wearing what am today.

I think, traditionally in professional firms there has been something of an us and them attitude, and I think that has been eroded, not only with the dress code changes, but more open-plan working and so on and so forth. The benefits of the greater informality and flexibility are that they enable us to react more quickly and appropriately to clients’ needs.

Ian Hallett: Our vision is to be part of a success in the new economy. The new economy’s all about flexible working..