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Flexible working shown to be crucial for productivity

19 Nov 2013

72% of respondents across Africa believe flexible working is a critical measure to achieving higher productivity, finds the latest Regus survey. This result confirms that in any economic climate, but particularly in times of high market volatility, businesses continue to review their strategies in order to achieve greater efficiency and productivity.

Experts tend to agree on a group of common initiatives to enhance productivity: flexible working; Cloud computing; knowledge management; better communication; training; and health measures such as giving employees the opportunity to cycle or walk to work.¹

Flexible working shown to be crucial for productivity

This latest survey, canvassed the opinion of more than 20,000 senior executives and business owners across 95 countries, which includes respondents in North, West, East and South Africa, delved deeper into the subject of flexible working and found that business people believe it not only help improve employee productivity by reducing unused office space and slashing commutes, but also helps workers become more efficient. For example respondents report that flexible work encourages a greater sense of responsibility and fosters better decision making and creativity.

Other outcomes

Other outcomes include:

72% of respondents in Africa think that flexible working improves productivity
In Africa, 76% think flexible working encourages a greater sense of responsibility and time management
Flexible working also improves the quality (63%) and speed (62%) of decision making
Flexible working fosters creativity (73%)
Profitable business connections are also favoured by flexible working (70%)

Joanne Bushell

Commenting on the research, Joanne Bushell VP for Africa for Regus says: "Analysts highlight a number of practices that are proven to impact productivity more than others. Flexible working, with its added benefits of improved creativity and networking opportunities enabler, takes pride of place with global businesses stanchly supporting its critical role.

"Businesses know that flexible working enhances productivity, but how this comes about is clearly a mixture of many factors ranging from better time management and responsibility to reduction of stress. Given that flexible working also significantly reduces unused office space it is a win-win solution for businesses hoping to make a cost saving and improve worker productivity and happiness."

¹The Guardian, How cloud-based products improve business productivity, 2013; Time, How Data Analysis Boosts Productivity, 9th September 2013; Forbes, 7 Management Practices That Can Improve Employee Productivity, 17th May 2013; The vital 6 percent, NESTA, 2009; Training Mag, Training for Productivity, 15th August 2012