The UK’s mobile business workforce is significantly increasing, according to a new ICM poll of business travellers published by hotspot vendor BT Openzone. Of those surveyed, 55% have seen the amount of time they need to spend out of the office increase over the past two years; and 88% said they felt it was important to have constant access to email and the corporate IT network wherever they are.
Nearly eight out of ten claimed that being contactable is more important today than it was only two years ago.
Microsoft has also been researching mobile working, this time homing in on the flexibility angle. The conclusion: “businesses need to sit up and take notice or risk losing out to companies with attractive flexi-working policies”.
It seems 73% of people consider the ability to work flexibly a deciding factor when choosing a new job; 52% believe they would enjoy a less stressful working life as a benefit of working remotely; and 36% cited ‘lack of proper equipment’ as the primary barrier to working away from the office.