British Office Workers Want To Work From Home

Travel Delays and Office Politics are Causing Stress in the Workplace

Commuting and office politics are the most stressful aspects of working life and are causing more and more employees to want to work from home, a survey by Mitel Networks, the UK's leading business communications company has revealed. The survey discovered that of office workers who cannot currently work from home, two in five would seriously consider moving jobs, and over a quarter would take a cut in salary, in order to be able to do so.

The survey, conducted by MORI, looked at stress levels in the workplace and found that 41 per cent of workers rate travel as the most annoying aspect of their job followed by office politics (37 per cent) and constant interruptions (33 per cent).

One quarter of office workers spend between one and two hours travelling each day and 15 per cent are late to work between one and three times a week due to travel delays. It is not surprising then that over half (52 per cent) of office workers want to work from home because of the freedom it gives them, and 42 per cent, because it will cut down on commuting time.

Graham Bevington, managing director of Mitel Networks is sympathetic: "The discovery that workers are increasingly dissatisfied with the office culture is not surprising. The increase in mobile and messaging technology means that employees have the tools necessary to be able to work from wherever they are. This coupled with the recent travel crises in the UK add to the frustration of having to come into the office day after day. Here at Mitel Networks we have found that our employees who work from home, even on an occasional basis, are much more productive."

Heather Waring, a qualified life coach who advises employers and employees on stress at work, and who has endorsed this study, commented: "The frustration of travel to and from work can greatly increase stress levels, which inevitably reduce working efficiency. Increased use of home working technology, can cut down on stress, improve productivity and generally create a greater work/life balance"

Other key findings from the research included:

• 33 per cent of office workers who have worked from home on occasion find it much more productive than working in the office
• In an ideal world, 33 per cent of office workers would like to work from home between one and three days per week
• Over one quarter (26 per cent) of office workers would like to work from home every day
• 45 per cent of office workers are attracted to working from home because they would spend less money on transport

As a response to the survey results, and in order to help workers cope with stress, Mitel Networks has produced a guide to 'Survival in the Workplace'. The guide deals with stressful aspects of working life, from coping with commuting and heavy workloads, to dealing with the constant barrage of messages, and offers advice on how to tackle each area.

To obtain a copy of Mitel Networks' 'Survival in the Workplace Guide', please contact Mitel Networks on 0870-909 3030 or email: [email protected]

Technical details

329 office workers aged 15+ were interviewed throughout Great Britain on the MORI Omnibus across 194 constituency based sampling points. Interviews were carried out using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing), face-to-face in respondents homes between 4th and 8th January 2001. An additional booster sample of 335 office workers were interviewed across 193 sampling points across Great Britain to during 1st - 5th February 2001 focusing on teleworkers and non teleworkers. Data have been weighted to reflect the known national population profile.

About Mitel Networks:

Mitel Networks is a leading-edge provider of next-generation IP telephony solutions and a market-leader for voice and data convergence. The company creates advanced communication solutions and applications in the areas of speech recognition, wireless mobility, integrated messaging, and customer interaction solutions. The company also integrates voice and data infrastructures with its patented dual-bus architecture in its Ipera IP platform. Mitel Networks currently serves the education, hospitality, healthcare and government markets. The company is headquartered in Ottawa, Canada.