Groundbreaking teleworking survey shows that the homeworking dream is far from a reality
Keywords Remote working, Surveys
By the year 2010, more than half of the working population will spend some of the working week in a home office. One-and-a-half million people already do. However, according to a groundbreaking new survey, we still do not support our teleworkers effectively – or properly understand the virtual environments in which we unthinkingly expect them to work.
The image of a teleworker achieving outstanding productivity in a brightly-lit home office converted from the loft is, in fact, a myth, according to a new survey published recently. In fact, the majority of teleworkers are squashed into homes without adequate space – and their work environments may not be safe or even legal.
Home or Away? Teleworking Today – an innovative Web-based survey hosted by the infrastructure solutions company, Sulzer Infra CBX – looked at both sides of the teleworking equation, in order to understand the issues involved for both companies and the teleworkers they employ. The results show that although teleworking is popular with employers because of reduced office costs and increased productivity, and with employees because of increased flexibility and freedom, neither group is really gaining all the advantages on offer:
Despite the need for better guidance, 82 per cent of employers say that they support homeworkers well. However, only 54 per cent of workers felt that they were being adequately managed by companies.
Teleworking for many may not be safe or legal. Less than 15 per cent of teleworkers received advice on health and safety, mortgage compliance requirements and insurance obligations or even local planning law from their employers when they start working from home. Just under half received nothing at all.
Most teleworkers do not have a dedicated home office. Nearly 40 per cent of homeworkers want more space in which to work. Even those who feel they have enough often have their "home offices" within living space which is shared with the rest of the family: 30 per cent of teleworkers work in the living room, 27 per cent in their bedrooms, 22 per cent in the dining room, and 5 per cent in the kitchen.
One thing both parties agree on – implemented successfully, teleworking improves flexibility, creativity, productivity and quality of life. As one worker commented: "Apart from a major disaster, nothing would drag me back into a company office".
Teleworking employers would like better guidance on setting up and managing schemes: "We need to understand the processes by which we can make this work for everyone", said one manager of more than 100 homeworkers.
It was found that 48 per cent of remote workers want a better home working environment; 47 per cent requested more equipment; 33 per cent wanted more communication with colleagues; and 31 per cent asked for more support from the office.
In essence, today's homeworkers are dissatisfied with the support provided by employers, who in turn still do not feel confident about the management practices required to make homeworking flourish.
"SI CBX has surveyed both managers and homeworkers in order to understand the reality of teleworking and understand what we can do to realise the potential of the practice", commented John Weston, European business development director, Sulzer Infra CBX, "We want to make teleworking work for both corporations and their employees as part of the workplaces of the future. This survey will help us to assist our clients in designing schemes that work".
For further information contact Fiona Perrin or Barnaby Levy at Enigma. Tel:+44 (0)171 510 5950; Fax: +44 (0)171 510 5951; E-mail: sicbx-pr@the-enigma.co.uk
The Sulzer Infra CBX Web site can be found at: www.si-cbx.com
