November 17, 2004—The swing towards a more flexible approach to working appears to be here to stay. 90% of businesses in a recent survey described flexible working as “established and accepted.”
The research, from technology company Citrix Systems, found that flexibility extends into the boardroom in many companies.
Half the senior executives questioned have embraced mobile working and rely on a variety of portable devices. But the majority of companies concede that real mobile workers account for less than 20% of their employees.
When asked what was holding back the implementation of mobile working, directors named concerns about:
- Cost (55%)
- Keeping pace with new technology (5%)
- Education of staff in the use of the relevant technology (48%).
Flexible working may be a practical solution to modern needs, but research conducted at Cranfield recently found that prospective employees are more interested in a company’s salary and career development policies
Flexibility policies may not extend this far – a survey of employees found that nearly 60% would welcome the introduction of a daily siesta at work.
Reprinted with permission; copyright 2004 i-FM
