Less than a quarter (24%) of respondents said their organisation will implement a flexible working policy for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, according to research commissioned by networking and virtualisation technology firm Citrix Systems.
The YouGov survey, which polled more than 500 senior decision-makers at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the London area, also found that only 10% of respondents will adopt new working practices.
It also found:
- 58% of respondents are prepared to cope with the expected disruption.
- 64% of respondents believe that some staff will be late into work, with 27% concerned that they will not get in at all.
- 37% of respondents trust their staff to make up any time lost.
- 56% of respondents expect more staff to work from home.
Andrew Millard, senior director, Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) marketing for the online service division at Citrix, said: “Despite the fact that so many anticipate Olympics-related disruptions, it is surprising that almost 60% of SMEs don’t think that any formal change to existing ways of working is either relevant or necessary.
“With London in the global spotlight over this period, it provides the ideal opportunity for UK employers to show that it is possible to reap the benefits of hosting the games and avoid the fall-out of any pressure on the transport network, by using collaboration technologies to ensure their staff can work effectively wherever they are.”††††
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