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Do We Still Need to Go to Work to Get the Job Done?

Announcement posted by Polycom, a part of Plantronics 22 Mar 2017

Global Survey Reveals Australia is One of the World’s Most Flexible Countries to Work In, with 90% of Australian Companies Offering Flexible Working Benefits
Polycom commissioned survey finds:
  • Of the countries surveyed, Australia is one of the world’s most flexible countries to work in – 90% of companies offer flexible working benefits
  • More than two-thirds (67%) of Australians have a work-BFF who’s based in a different office
  • Approximately 79% of Australians use video collaboration multiple times a day to stay in touch
  • Globally, 98% of those surveyed believed that anywhere working has a positive impact on productivity
  • Almost two-thirds, (62%) of the global working population take advantage of flexible working practices, rising to 75% for Australians
AUSTRALIA, 22 March, 2017 – Polycom, Inc, a global leader in unified communication and collaboration, today announced findings from a new world-wide consumer survey** that explores the future of work and the impact technology is having on both employee behaviour and workplace culture.
 
The Polycom Anywhere Working study challenges the notion of going to work as we know it, with two thirds (62%) of the global population quite literally working from anywhere, increasing to 75% for Australia. Of the countries surveyed, Australia is one of the most flexible countries to work in – 90% of companies offer flexible working benefits. Not only that, thanks to technology, more than two-thirds (67%) of Australians have a work-BFF located in a different office!
 
Capturing insights from more than 25,000 of today’s working population, millennials to baby boomers and more, the findings show that despite generational differences, in some cases, age really is just a number. The survey found three major flexible working trends that were commonly shared across the 12 countries** surveyed:
  • Being able to work from anywhere is believed to boost performance with 98% of all respondents, believing that anywhere working has a positive impact on productivity
  • Almost two thirds (62%) of the global working population are currently taking advantage of flexible working practices
  • Findings also showed that 91% of respondents believe video collaboration helps improve workplace relationships and teamwork
 
These results suggest that flexible workplace success is about providing the right environment that allows individuals and teams to work together productively to deliver great results.
 
Tony Simonsen, Managing Director, Polycom Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) explains, “With the build of high speed broadband networks, technology can now give people the freedom to work the way they want, regardless of where they are. In today’s technology-enabled workplace, flexible working is becoming business-normal; employees expect it and employers need to provide flexible working policies to attract and retain their best talent.
 
“Regardless of whether you are working in Australia or China, a millennial or baby boomer, the findings show that people have the same expectations when it comes to flexible working– they want location liberation, the ability to work and collaborate in a very human way that gets the job done.”
 
Millennials Concerned About Being Recognised as Hard-Working, while Remote Based Workers Use Video Technology to Stay Socially Connected
Surprisingly, it was technology-savvy millennials who were most concerned about the correlation between being physically present at work and being recognised as getting the job done. Globally, approximately 62% of millennials (18-30 year olds) were concerned that they would not be perceived as hard-working if they were not in the office.  Findings also showed that having face time with colleagues over video helped maintain important social interaction that can sometimes be lacking for remote-based workers.  An overwhelming 91% of global respondents said video collaboration helped them get to know their co-workers better.
 
A Deeper Dive into Anywhere Working Habits within Australia
More than 2000 respondents from Australia participated in the global study with findings revealing the significant impact that technology is having on anywhere working habits within Australia: 
  • Of the countries surveyed, Australia is one of the most flexible countries to work in – 90% of companies offer flexible working benefits and 79% of Australians who use video collaboration multiple times a day to stay in touch
  • More than half of Australians (59%) worry that working anywhere might lead to them working longer hours than if they went in to the office every day
  • Just over one-third (34%) believe they might be overlooked for a promotion if they work remotely
  • More than two-thirds (67%) of Australians have a work-BFF who’s based in a different office
  • To overcome the tyranny of distance, 79% of Australians use video collaboration technology multiple times a week in the workplace to stay in touch.
  • Just over half (51%) of Australians said that using video regularly also influences them to pick up the phone instead of emailing more often.  
 
The Future of Work in Australia
According to the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia’s (CEDA) recent ‘Future of Work’[1] report, more than 40% today’s jobs will disappear within the next 20 years due to technology advances.  The report found that there will be new jobs and industries that emerge but cautioned that if Australia is not investing in the right areas it will get left behind. The report stated that the Australian labour market will be fundamentally reshaped by the scope and breadth of technological change, and if Australia does not embrace massive economic reform and focus on incentivising innovation, it will be left behind in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
 
Commenting on the growth in flexible working within Australia, industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan’s Head of Research, Audrey William said, “Across the region, governments and businesses are creating disruptive change to remain competitive in the digital era. Transformational technologies like mobility, cloud and video collaboration are changing the way we work and live, impacting everything from workspace design, to workflow and office culture. The growth in flexible working and geographically distributed workforces mean that businesses will need to find ways to empower employees with vastly different experiences and relationships with technology, ensuring they can collaborate effectively to get the job done.”

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For more information about the survey results, download our Anywhere Working E-guide or read Polycom’s white paper: “Changing Needs of the Workplace”.

About Polycom Inc.
Polycom helps organisations unleash the power of human collaboration. More than 400,000 companies and institutions worldwide defy distance with secure video, voice and content solutions from Polycom to increase productivity, speed time to market, provide better customer service, expand education and save lives. Polycom and its global partner ecosystem provide flexible collaboration solutions for any environment that deliver the best user experience, the broadest multi-vendor interoperability and unmatched investment protection. Visit www.polycom.com.au or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to learn more.

**About the survey
The ‘Guide to Anywhere Working’ survey commissioned by Polycom Inc.  was conducted by Morar Consulting. Sample Data collected from 25,234 consumers of 12 countries, which included: United States, Canada, Brazil, Japan, United Kingdom, India, Singapore, Germany, Russia, France, Australia and China.  55% of those surveyed had job titles managers or above. 58% of surveyed are responsible for care in some capacity, and 68% surveyed are parents.
 
In September 2016 Polycom announced the completion of its acquisition by affiliates of Siris Capital Group, LLC (“Siris” or “Siris Capital”) in a transaction reflecting an equity value of approximately $2.0 billion in cash. In connection with the closing of the transaction, the company, which continues to operate as Polycom, Inc., is wholly owned by affiliates of Siris Capital.
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