More than half of 1,091 people surveyed across the UK believe that remote access would allow them to choose and manage their own working hours and as a result eliminate the stress of rush-hour journeys. With London’s Olympics Games getting underway, it is clear that many of London’s commuters are looking for alternatives to help minimise any disruption the event is likely to cause.
Many employers haven’t thought about the impact the Games will have on how their employees will get to work and how they will keep their businesses running during the next few weeks. Flexible working not only gives staff more freedom to choose their own hours, it also paves the way for businesses to reduce office costs - 57% of employers highlighted this as the greatest advantage of remote working.
Simon Curry, CEO of Powwownow, said: “We have noticed an increase in demand for our services, with 30% year on year growth. This is phenomenal and clearly shows there is demand from businesses that are looking for alternative ways of working - something that is only set to continue, especially with the Olympics. It will be interesting to see what lasting impact this summer has on those businesses that allow flexible working to cope with the increase of people in our capital and whether as a result of this, people start to integrate remote working much more into their business ethos – it is definitely something we will be watching closely.”
The Games are predicted to bring around one million additional people to the London transport network; giving staff the ability to work from home will help to alleviate stress and increase productivity. By making teleconferencing, instant messaging and web sharing available in businesses, the isolation of working from home is eliminated and people can stay in touch and work as if they are in the office, keeping businesses on the move.