BIOS: Technology Means Business

Research released by Microsoft and YouGov has highlighted that business productivity is at risk as employers continually fail to trust their staff to work flexibly. According to the report only a third of the UK’s workforce is offered flexible working options.

Britain’s archaic office-bound, nine to five work mentality is forcing more than 70 per cent of employees to needlessly travel an additional 45 minutes during rush hour each day, raking up an average of 15 hours per worker wasted each month. In addition, nearly 15 per cent of Britain’s workforce is late for work at least once or twice a week as a result of peak hour congestion and delays, impacting British productivity.

Microsoft is encouraging British business to adopt a more flexible approach and enable employees to reduce the effects of the daily commute, for example, by working from home for the first and last hour of each working day. By avoiding travel during rush hour, employees could cut their commute and put the additional time towards something more beneficial like career development or leisure time spent with friends and family. According to a report by the RAC Foundation, peak traffic could also be cut by 10 per cent over the next five years through flexible working.

The change to working practice would not be difficult to implement according to Microsoft’s research which indicated that 93 per cent of employees already have access to an Internet-enabled home computer. In addition, the survey showed that almost 40 per cent of staff spent the first hour of their working day catching up on email, a task which is not location-dependent.

“Obviously not every sector is suited to flexible working, but by allowing appropriate employees to bypass the rush hour grind, their job satisfaction, productivity, performance and ultimately commitment to their employer could be improved, all positive contributors to a business’s bottom line,” said Allister Frost, Product Manager, Microsoft.

“While many employers are beginning to talk up the opportunity for flexible working it appears that a lack of trust is inhibiting them from grasping the opportunity with both hands. The technology already exists to enable people to take a more flexible approach to their work and with the trust of their employers, staff could enjoy a better work/life balance whilst delivering optimum performance.”

Dr Carsten Sorensen of the Department of Information Systems, London School of Economics, commented: “Workers need a new deal. We cannot assume as white collar workers we have complete freedom. However, bosses cannot manage as they have before by command and control - there is simply too much information in a modern technology-driven service economy. Outdated management practices are contributing to the continuing productivity gap between the UK and continental Europe. We need to trust people more.”

Nigel Stanley, TUC Head of Campaigns, said: “Flexible working does not just benefit staff. The employer gains too from the higher morale, better staff retention and higher trust relationships that go along with flexible hours.”

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