Small businesses abandon flexible working at their peril, new research suggests.
A study of more than 1000 small and medium enterprises suggests that mobile working enables business success. However, fewer than four out of ten small businesses are equipped for mobile working.
Small businesses with fully ‘mobile’ workforces are 60% more likely to be forecasting growth in 2009 compared to businesses without remote working.
Peter Thomson, founder of the Future Work Forum and the director of Wisework, says there is a real risk in steering away from flexible working during the downturn.
“Smarter working practices can save costs as well as improve efficiency,” Thomson said. “Technology solutions can make smaller teams more productive and the SMEs that are more agile are the ones that are most likely to survive the downturn.”
The survey, commissioned by telecoms specialist Plantronics, suggests that although there are many advantages in mobile working for business, many businesses see mobile working as nothing more than an employee benefit.
© Crimson Business Ltd, 2009
