May 2013
Featured in this insight: Business & enterprise, Public health & wellbeing
Market research shows UK employees prefer flexible working: A new survey by office space company Regus, which questioned 3,000 people working in the UK, has discovered that half the respondents felt they would be happier and more productive if they were permitted to work in different locations depending on the activities they need to perform.
In addition, the majority at 84% were of the opinion that having a say in where they work would improve their company loyalty.
Although two in five respondents claim they currently work away from their office for at least half of the week, only half the managers interviewed encourage flexible working – this means that more than a third of employees are forced to sacrifice sleep to juggle both work and personal commitments.
Furthermore, just under three-quarters of the surveyants said their manager tends to view people who arrive early and leave late as the most hard-working.
Managing Director of Regus, Steve Purdy, commented on the survey findings: "There is growing recognition that working closer to home - rather than at home – is often the best way to improve wellbeing and remain productive. In fact, one of the main reasons people use our centres today is to bridge this gap between the traditional office and the home office."
The Regus study ties in with ‘Work Wise Week’ (May 12 to 18), which aims to encourage people to work remotely (even in coffee shops) and have more ‘virtual meetings’ instead of travelling to the office. This Friday is "National Work From Home Day".
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