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Productivity key benefit of flexible working, says survey
A new survey reports that as many as 43% of organisations recognise higher productivity as the key benefit of flexible working policies.
A new survey reports that as many as 43% of organisations recognise higher productivity as the key benefit of flexible working policies.
Vanson Bourne carried out the research on behalf of Interactive Intelligence, a software provider. According to their findings, half of all businesses quizzed positively encourage flexible and remote working and claim to have a well-developed technology platform in place to support it.
The report finds that the other advantages of flexible working include retention of key staff and the ability to attract new and well-qualified employees (34%), reduction of office costs (8%) and faster, more responsive customer services (8%).
Despite the positive findings, over half of respondents (62%) also felt that flexible working systems triggered communication difficulties by creating limited interaction between key workers. Some 59% were concerned with a lack of management control over employees, 55% with security and a further 33% that employees would have concerns that their lack of visibility would deter promotion and opportunities.
Just 16% of organisations saw the requirement to invest in new technologies as a barrier to implementing a flexible working solution.
Commenting, Dave Paulding, regional sales director for Interactive Intelligence, said: "Flexible working is good for business, good for staff and good for the environment."
In a related survey by Advanced Workplace Associates, a management consultancy firm, 20,000 office workers showed 91% support for flexible working, citing the main environmental benefit to be a reduction in office space.
All three political parties plan to extend the right to request flexible working. The Conservative party would extend it to include all public sector workers, the Liberal Democrats would include grandparents whilst the Labour party would offer it to older workers.
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