Flexible working one of top three benefits for employees

Flexible working has been named one of the three most important priorities for employees when they are presented with a package of benefits, cited by over three quarters of respondents in a survey by BT.

The company’s Mobile multiplier report surveyed 1,528 employees in offices throughout the UK, France, Germany and Spain, and similarly found that over 65 per cent of respondents consider being able to work independent of location and use good technology flexibly better benefits than a company car.

Flexible

According to the report, 80 per cent of UK workers named flexible working as one of their most valuable three benefits, compared to 88 per cent of employees in Germany, 75 per cent in Spain, and 59 per cent in France.

Younger employees were found to prefer flexible working, with 40 per cent of respondents aged 25 to 34 naming it as a top benefit. This was compared to 39 per cent of employees aged 35 to 44 years old, 35 per cent aged 45 to 54 years old, and 31 per cent aged 55 to 64 years old.

The research also found that 13 per cent of employees in the UK have never worked away from the office.

Frustration

Commenting on the research, BT Vice President of the Unified Communications, Mobile and Contact Centre Portfolio, Andrew Small, said: “Businesses are keen to support their employees’ desire for a more flexible way of working, but the reality still falls short of the ambition. The technology in place often still lags behind, causing delays and frustration.”

He added that “It’s important for [organisations] to future-proof their business by investing in mobile collaboration technology to support a flexible-working model.”