Two thirds (66 per cent) of UK businesses have failed to adopt flexible workingtechnologies because they believe it is too difficult to integrate into their day-to-day operation, according to a new survey by LifeSize, the HD video communications provider.
The improvements in broadband funding and coverage announced by Chancellor George Osborne in his Autumn Budget statement will improve access to and usage of these high quality communications tools, which are one of the keys to the success of UK businesses.
Even though 24 per cent state that delivering flexible working is a top priority for 2012, more than half (57 per cent) of those surveyed feel it is not easy to adopt technologies within their business.
However, the poll of 1,000 senior decision-makers revealed that more than half of those surveyed (51%) believe technology such as video communications, remote server systems and cloud computing would help them during their work day.
These technologies can help businesses to deliver an experience that can replace many of the reasons to travel and improve both customer and supplier experiences. It will will also allow UK companies to seamlessly reach and service customers offshore and potentially improve the UK export figures in the process.
For those businesses that did have flexible and remote working policies in place, the most popular technology to facilitate these schemes was video communications (55%). Additionally, 30 per cent of businesses equip employees with tablet devices to help them work on the move or from home.
With more than a third (35%) of decision-makers feeling the effects of the economic downturn on their business, 56 per cent have had to reduce face-to-face meetings and 37 per cent stated that more meetings are now conducted by video conferencing systems or over the phone to better manage costs.
Michael Stephens, UK and Ireland general manager at LifeSize, said: “Even with thelatest budget announcement supporting SMBs, the costs of travel will continue to rise, and therefore a need for high quality, interoperable and business-ready solutions at an accessible cost. Businesses of all sizes are cutting costs across the board but perceive that it is too complex to implement the required technologies to enable their staff to work efficiently from any location.
“From this survey it’s obvious more education is required amongst UK businesses that it no longer costs a fortune to equip employees with the right communication technologies while reducingcosts associated with running a business, such as paying for travel and meeting room space. Not only can business owners save time and money, but with easy-to-use communications and cloud technologies, they will also be improving staff morale and productivity , as more workers strive to strike the best work-life balance and work from home or on the go,” Stephens concluded.
