60% employees worldwide don't prefer office: Study

Even social networking platforms, a seeming obsession for those inextricably bound to their devices, are now becoming effective work tools for those in marketing and sales and the online nature of many of the platforms are now giving rise to the idea of working anytime-anywhere.

A global study by IT company Cisco has indeed revealed the shift in professional and lifestyle trends, as it said three out of five respondents (60 per cent) preferred flexibility to work from anywhere.

The study -conducted amongst 2,600 workers and IT professionals over 13 countries including India- also indicates that employees even put flexibility to work from different places above higher salary.

“In fact, (employees’) desire to be mobile and flexible in accessing corporate information is so strong that the same percentage of workers would choose jobs that were lower-paying but had leniency in accessing information outside of the office over higher salaried jobs that lacked flexibility,” a release from Cisco on Wednesday has said.

“These and numerous other findings provide real-life insight into the expectations, demands, and behaviour of the global workforce that is influencing the way information is accessed and how business communications are changing,” it further added. Forty-five per cent of about 2600 employees who enjoy flexibility in working hours were happy about planning their work around other activities, despite having to put in longer hours.
Thirteen per cent of them felt the amount of flexibility also dictated their loyalty to the company.

Not surprisingly, employees who prefer flexibility of work place also want freedom to choose between devices provided by their office and their personal ones. Respondents in India blamed their company policy for lack of flexibility.

However, the survey also raised some doubts on the wisdom of giving flexibility in terms of workplace, as  19 per cent of them felt strangers have a peak into their computer screens, while 17 per cent of them admitted leaving their systems unattended in public places.

“The findings indicate the real need for better corporate policies, end-user education, and stronger, trusted relationships between employees and their IT departments,” the release added.

Cisco commissioned the study -conducted by market research firm InsightExpress- to understand present day challenges in delivering ubiquitous technologies to an increasingly diversified workforce.

The 13 countries surveyed include United States, Mexico, Brazil, United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Russia, India, China, Japan, and Australia.