Flexible working may become more popular in 2009, new research suggests.
Research commissioned by THUS, a Cable&Wireless business, found that 70% of people view the right to work flexibly as a ‘deal breaker’.
However, 85% of businesses are unable to fully support flexible working and remote customer service, new data from BT Business shows.
Only 15% of firms have the technology backbone or working practices in place to allow workers to service customers ahead of the competition whether from their desk, the train or the home.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT Business, said: “The New Year is a great time to look at how small technical changes can cut operating costs and put your firm in a better position to meet customer demand in 2009.”
Gordon Brown has announced intentions to extend the right to request flexible working from April 2009. It is thought many companies will introduce flexible working policies in the New Year as a result.
Dan Cole, head of product management at THUS said: “Up to a quarter of a million people will change the way they work from April next year and with it we will see a breakdown of the nine-to-five tradition that has defined the working world for decades.”
© Crimson Business Ltd, 2008
