The majority (82%) of employee respondents said the government must do more to incentivise organisations to implement flexible working policies, according to research commissioned by Plantronics and conducted by OnePoll.
The research, The state of the flexible working nation, surveyed 2,000 UK employees to gain understanding of the UK’s changing working culture.
It found that 70% of respondents said they feel more productive when allowed to work flexibly, yet only 54% are offered the opportunity to do so by their employer.
The research also found:
- 36% of respondents said they do not have the necessary tools and knowledge to work flexibly.
- 63% of respondents said they have not received any specialist training around flexible working.
- 42% of respondents said they flexible working is only encouraged for staff who have children.
Norma Pearce, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) HR director at Plantronics, said: “At Plantronics, we’re great advocates of flexible working and believe passionately that every employee and organisation can benefit from it, from increased productivity to cost savings.
“However, to truly take advantage of smarter working processes, employers must have the right tools and training in place, and this ethos should be supported and echoed by government in the form of better education and business incentives if the nation’s working culture is to change.
“The government has already taken some big steps aimed at extending flexible working rights for all, supported by the deputy prime minister’s recent campaigning, but our research suggests there is still work to be done.”
