Eight out of ten workers do not think they need to be in an office to be productive and 85 per cent want the opportunity to work from home, according to research from business communications company Fuze.
The survey of 6,600 workers in the UK, Australia, Europe and North America, highlights significant demand for working away from the office, yet only 47 per cent of workers are currently allowed to work from home. This figure drops as low as 40 per cent in North America, but rises to 55 per cent in the Netherlands.
The top three drivers for wanting to work outside of the office are: better work-life balance; being more productive; and saving time and money on a daily commute. However, despite 43 per cent of workers saying they would get more done if they worked from home, 48 per cent agreed that their employer does not provide adequate technology to do so effectively.
The Fuze research also uncovers other appealing work locations. In Germany, 32 per cent of workers would like to work from a café, 38 per cent of Australian employees would like to work from the beach, while 18 per cent of Americans say they work from their beds on occasion. In the UK, 28 per cent of workers would like to be able to work from the pub – and 7 per cent currently do so.
Kris Wood, vice president EMEA at Fuze, comments, ‘National Work from Home Day is the perfect time for businesses to rethink their approaches to flexible working. Today’s workforce is keen to break free from the constraints of traditional working practices and the availability of technologies that allow internet-based calling, video conferencing and live chat means it’s never been easier to create a highly collaborative workforce outside of the office.
‘Today, the technologies are available to empower staff to create the right work-life balance, but in a way that benefits their businesses by maximising productivity and employee satisfaction. By incorporating these tools, businesses will not only benefit from a more active and motivated workforce, but can significantly improve their market competitiveness and bottom lines.’
Further reading on out of office productivity
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