Can't Stand The Heat? Get Out Of The Office

Flexible Working Delivers Hard Business Benefits In the Current Climate, Says Compaq

Ditching employees' mobile working benefits during an economic downturn in favour of tying them to their desks is not only unpopular, it may end up landing companies with unnecessary costs. According to new research released today by Compaq, mobile working delivers hard business benefits, with 38 per cent of business managers citing reduced overheads/costs and almost a quarter (23 per cent) mentioning reduced employee absenteeism as direct results of a more mobile approach to working.

In a week that sees Compaq launch its own flexible working guidelines, Simon Nelson, head of wireless and mobile solutions, Compaq, said: "There are a number of surveys that show that employees like mobile working. What makes this research different, is that it explores not only employee attitudes, but those of their managers too. The findings demonstrate the benefits of mobile working for businesses as well as individuals. The message is clear: mobile working should not be viewed as a perk for the privileged few, but as a pivotal tool for business productivity. UK businesses need to understand the benefits of investing in wireless solutions to create a more loyal and productive workforce."

The study, which was conducted by MORI¹ on behalf of Compaq, finds that managers perceive that employee mobility still faces resistance from British Board members with around a third of Britain's bosses refusing to release the reins on their employees. Despite limited buy-in from the Board, there is huge support for mobile working at management level with the emergence of a new breed of mobile managers, more than two-thirds of whom trust their employees to work anywhere and who are recognising the business benefits of mobile working.

Businesses ignoring the obvious benefits of flexible working risk alienating employees according to Sandi Mann, work psychologist, University of Central Lancashire: "Talented staff recruited with difficulty during boom times, are the ones most needed to help survive a downturn. Rather than risk driving them to rivals by cutting back on flexibility, firms need to invest in mobile working, especially in times when business is tough."

The research, highlighting the differences between those who manage people from home or on the move and those who manage in the office, reveals that 38 per cent of mobile managers are experiencing reduced stress while 36 per cent cite improved job satisfaction. Tangible business benefits are also highlighted: 41 per cent of mobile managers cite a reduction in requirement for office space; 44 per cent a reduction in overheads; and 46 per cent a reduction in wasted employee time. More than a quarter (26 per cent) identified a reduction in employee absenteeism.

Simon Nelson continued: "The high performance employee of tomorrow will be the one who knows where to obtain knowledge, and how to collaborate with others. Current technology enables employees to access the corporate network, including e-mail and the internet wherever they are through the use of wireless technologies. Both in and out of the office, technology exists to place business critical information in the hands of those who need it, regardless of where they are located."

An End to Authoritarian Management

The research also suggests that authoritarian managers may be a thing of the past, giving way to more measured management styles in which employees are trusted to work productively wherever they are based. Overall, 35 per cent of all managers surveyed said that they did not mind where their employees work as long as the work gets done. A further 48 per cent of managers would not feel any diminished control when their employees work away from the office.

Sandi Mann continued: "The research is very encouraging, in that it shows that middle-management styles are adapting to changing working environments. The future of the digital age can prove to be a liberating experience, giving choice and control back to employees - but managers must arm themselves with the right skills, technology and attitudes to succeed. We need to encourage mobile thinking throughout an organisation, especially at Board level."

Does Size Matter?

Managers working in larger businesses² are more willing to adopt mobile working practices and trust their employees to get on with the job than managers in smaller businesses. Contrary to the usual stereotype of large, inflexible businesses and small, flexible companies, managers in smaller businesses have been identified as having 'control-freak' tendencies and are three times more likely to feel out of control if they cannot physically see their employees in the office everyday.

¹ MORI interviewed 298 office based workers /142 office based managers in Great Britain between 7th and 12th June 2001. All interviews were conducted face-to-face. ² More than 100 employees

Research Results at a Glance

Trust

• More than a third of office-based workers feel trusted by their employer to work productively wherever they work. Those who do work from home feel this more strongly.
• A third of office-based managers trust all their employees to work productively while away from their normal place of work. A further third would trust some, but not all, of their employees to do so.
• Some 39% of all workers in an office-based environment indicated they would like the choice of being mobile or office-based.
• Of the office-based managers surveyed, 34% said they did not mind where their teams worked, so long as the work got done.
• Only 1% of office-based managers would not trust any of their employees to work productively whilst out of the office or their normal place of work.

Productivity

• The key benefits of mobile working identified are: wasted travel time is eliminated (mentioned by 45% of office-based managers) business overheads (38%) and office space (37%) are reduced and employee stress is minimised (37%). A quarter of managers recognise that mobile working cuts staff absenteeism.
• The key distractions identified by office-based managers when employees work away from the office are cited as children (54%), family and friends visiting (43%) and household matters/chores (42%). Those managers who themselves work from home are more likely to identify these factors, but less likely to identify the television/radio, or music as a distraction.
• Some 17% of office-based managers feel that there are too many distractions for employees away from the office.
• Some 11% of office-based managers do not trust employees to work productively outside of the office.

Cultural

• Just one in ten office-based managers believe that the IT department would be most resistant to the idea of mobile working. Instead, almost a third identify that the Board of Directors would be most opposed.
• Some 48% of all managers said they do not feel any loss of control when they work away from the office or their normal place of work and managers who are themselves mobile agree most strongly (53%).
• Only 7% of office-based managers said they feel they have lost control when they work away from the office or their normal place of work.
• Some 48% of employees in an office-based environment surveyed said they would miss their office colleagues if they had to work from home.
• One quarter (24%) of office workers would miss the organisational culture if they had to work away from the office.
• Some 36% of office-based managers want their staff to interact with each other and identify this as a barrier to mobile working.

Barriers to implementing a mobile working culture

• Only a fifth of managers do not identify any barriers to mobile working. Managers in larger organisations are less likely to identify them. Key barriers identified are: employees do not have work that is appropriate to do from home (40%) and managers want staff to interact with each other (36%).
• One quarter of office-based managers believe that cost is the biggest barrier to implementing mobile working.
• More than a quarter (29%) of office-based managers said the management team and Board of directors would be the most resistant to mobile working.
• One quarter (26%) of office-based managers said that human resources and personnel would be the most resistant to introducing mobile working.
• 22% of office-based managers said the technology in their organisation currently will not allow mobile working.

Benefits of implementing a mobile working culture

• A significant 38% of business managers said flexible working would reduce overheads.
• 23% of managers said that reducing staff absenteeism is a benefit of mobile working. Once again, over a quarter of those that work from home themselves (26%) agree compared to 18% of those who do not.
• Nearly half (45%) of office-based managers said it would reduce wasted time while employees travel to work.
• 38% of mobile managers said it would reduce employee stress and 26% believe it would reduce employee absenteeism.
• 36% of mobile managers cite improved job satisfaction for those that are mobile. This compares to 30% of office-based managers.
• 41% of mobile managers said that it would reduce office space. Only 26% of office-based managers agree.

Technology

• 37% of all office-based managers state that their organisation has the technology in place to enable mobile working.
• 29% of all office-based managers state that their organisation has no plans to put the technology in place to enable mobile working.
• 23% of all office-based managers said the cost of technology is the biggest barrier to implementing mobile working.