UK falling behind global remote working drive
The UK is lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to allowing its workforce to do their jobs flexibly from home, according to a new study.
While remote working has become increasingly popular as UK businesses invest in new online communications systems, research carried out by the HR advisory division of PricewaterhouseCoopers suggests that UK employers are likely to remain inflexible for some time yet.
Just five per cent of the international graduates questioned in the study felt that they will mainly be working from home in the future, though this proportion fell to just 0.6 per cent among UK respondents.
In comparison, 13 per cent of Americans and 18 per cent of Chinese graduates expressed their belief that they will be able to take advantage of improved internet communications systems and have a largely flexible working life.
Despite the numerous advantages to both employers and employees of remote working, the study's authors feel that the technology still has much room for improvement.
"You can't underplay the social impact of being in the office and the power of having people working in teams face-to-face," said Michael Rendell, head of HR services at the consultancy firm.
"That creativity is not easy to replicate over the internet."
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