Australians Would Consider a Pay Cut for Freedom to Work from Home
New
research finds that employees want to work from home ― but reality does not meet desire
SYDNEY, Aust. ― May 19, 2009 ―
Nearly one fifth of Australian workers would give up five percent of their
salary to work from home, according to research released today. The research
reveals a strong desire for flexible working practices, but while the majority
of Australian full-time workers would like to work remotely, most don’t have
the means to do so.
The
independent research was commissioned by Citrix Online and has been released as
part of a report entitled: ‘Worldwide
Workplace: The Web Commuting Imperative’, which provides a unique snapshot
of the evolving trend to the location-independent workplace. It revealed
58 percent of
Australian full-time workers would like to work remotely, yet 66 percent ‘never’
have the ability to do so.
The research compares and contrasts
attitudes of workers and owners of small businesses in the
The research findings illustrate the
paradox between what businesses and workers perceive to be important to success
― and the realities of the workplace. Among the findings:
- Australians
would take a pay cut to work from home: Sixteen
percent of Australian workers and 17% of small business owners would give
up five percent of their salary to work from home one to two days a week.
- Australians
want remote working, but the reality is different: Fifty-eight
percent of Australian full-time workers would like to work from home, yet
two thirds of workers ‘never’ have the ability to work remotely. However,
64 percent of Australian small business owners say they frequently work
remotely.
- Australian
small businesses lack access to Web Commuting technology: Australian
small business owners (17 percent) do not have access to technology or
software that makes Web Commuting possible, compared to eight percent in
the US and 14 percent in the UK.
- Technology
preference ― Aussies prefer mobile devices: Mobile phones (64 percent) are
the number one tool used by Australian employees for working remotely.
Email and the Internet are the most used by workers in the US and UK.
- Breaking
free from corporate culture: Freedom
from rigid office hours is what employers and employees in all three geographies
like most about Web Commuting. Australians are shown to be particularly
independent ― 40 percent of workers polled rank ‘setting my own hours or schedule’
as the top benefit of working remotely, against 37 percent in the US and
35 percent in the UK.
- Flexible
hours will lead to future success: Forty-five percent
of Australian small business owners say offering flexible hours is the
most ‘practical and essential’ ingredient of a successful business in the future,
while 30 percent deem this to be the second most essential ingredient. This
option was selected over elements including affordable health insurance
and maintaining a diverse workforce.
- Remote
working to help with succession planning: Of
those planning to reduce their work hours prior to retirement, 25 percent
of employees and a massive 57 percent of small business owners plan to frequently work
remotely.
Joseph Sweeney, Advisor, IBRS,
a member of the Worldwide Workplace Council, said the research findings pointed
to several challenges in the successful widespread implementation of remote
working. Many small businesses, for example, are lacking the technology to make
Web Commuting possible. “While small business owners recognise the importance
of offering a flexible work environment, they are behind the times when it
comes to implementing remote working practices. Many simply don’t know the
first steps to take and face challenges in finding the right tools to use,” he
said.
Council member
Bevis England, Director of Telework New Zealand and facilitator of the Telework
Australia Initiative, said there were also challenges in a lack of understanding from employers and a lack of
commitment across governments. “There are multi-faceted benefits from working
remotely ― from reduced traffic congestion and emissions; to
a better work/life balance and a happier workforce; assistance with rural
development; and assistance with pandemic and business
continuity planning. These benefits must be advocated at the highest level, from leaders in
government. The sentiment will then trickle down to leaders in business,” he
said.
H.R. Shiever,
Managing Director of Citrix Online Asia Pacific, said: “From our experience
developing online technologies that enable Web Commuting, we understand the
huge impact this practice is having on every aspect of work and life,” he said.
“Web Commuting
gives individuals the ability to be equally productive whether they’re in the
office or a continent away. It also gives companies the ability to change the
economics of their business, by slashing infrastructure costs and hiring the
best employees regardless of where they live.”
The Web
Commuting Imperative suggests while individuals and companies are increasingly embracing
the practice of Web Commuting, this type of workplace model will see increased
take-up as the associated technologies become more integrated into mainstream business.
To assist businesses in the transition, Citrix Online suggests best practices, including
conducting an in-house remote working inventory, investigating available
technology and developing a formalised remote working policy.
More details on
The Web Commuting Imperative are available at www.workshifting.com
To view ‘Making Web Commuting Work for You’, a
webinar featuring US council members and
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# #
For
media inquiries or a copy of Worldwide
Workplace: The Web Commuting Imperative, contact:
Kathryn Torpy,
Howorth
+61
2 8281 3237 or kathrynt@howorth.com.au
Ofa
Fitzgibbons, Howorth
+61
2 8281 3811 or ofa@howorth.com.au
About Citrix
Citrix Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CTXS) is
the leading provider of virtualization, networking and software as a service
technologies for more than 230,000 organizations worldwide. Its Citrix Delivery
Center, Citrix Cloud Center (C3) and Citrix Online Services product families
radically simplify computing for millions of users, delivering applications as
an on-demand service to any user, in any location on any device. Citrix
customers include the world’s largest Internet companies, 99 percent of Fortune
Global 500 enterprises, and hundreds of thousands of small businesses and prosumers
worldwide. Citrix partners with over 10,000 companies worldwide in more than
100 countries. Founded in 1989, annual revenue in 2008 was $1.6 billion.
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[i] The
Worldwide Workplace: Web Commuting
Imperative research was conducted from November to December 2008.
