Being in office not necessary to be productive: Study

With technology bringing in the flexibility to stay away from the workplace, many employees now prefer jobs that offer mobility over high pay packets, according to Cisco's global survey.

"It is clear from the research findings that the desire among employees to be more mobile and flexible in their work lifestyles is extremely strong throughout the world -- as strong as salary," Cisco Borderless Networks Vice-President Marie Hattar told reporters here.

While 93 per cent of the employees surveyed in India said they do not need to be in office to be productive, the same sentiment was shared by 81 per cent of the respondents in China and 76 per cent in Brazil.

The study, titled 'Cisco Connected World Report', covered the views of 2,600 workers and IT professionals from 13 countries, including the US, Brazil, UK, France, Germany, India, China, Japan and Australia.

Globally, two out of every three employees surveyed, said they expect technology to allow them to use any device -- whether personal or company-issued -- to access corporate networks, applications and information anywhere and at any time.

In the case of the employees that could access their enterprise networks outside the office, about half the respondents admitted working between two or three extra hours a day, the study said.

However, almost half of the IT respondents also said they do not have the required policy and technology in place to support a more borderless, mobile workforce.