Over 70% of workers in the UK believe that they would be more productive if they worked from home, according to a survey of over 1,000 UK businessmen and women by Lumison.
The data revealed that found company culture is the biggest single obstacle to remote and flexible working. In many instances, bosses simply don't trust their staff to work from home, even though staff believe they would be happier and more effective.
"Many businesses are stuck in a Dickensian mindset of presenteeism.
They must embrace the fact they will have a healthier, happier and more
effective workforce if they support flexible working practices. This
isn't about going soft on staff, it's about making the business more
effective and that should be the top objective for any boss," said
Aydin Kurt-Elli, CEO of Lumison.
"We found the vast majority of
office workers believe they would be more productive given greater
freedom to structure their own working day and many already have the
means to do so as it often requires little more than a laptop, an
internet connection and a mobile phone. All that needs to change is our
culture but that is proving slow going."
The survey also revealed:
- 63% already have all the technology they need to work effectively from home
- 50% said their bosses remain sceptical about whether people are really working if they aren't in the office
- Just 33% of respondents said their company has a set policy on flexible working
- 27% of respondents went so far as to say their bosses value being present over being productive
