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

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

New Global Survey into the Future of Work Reveals Two Thirds (62%) of Today’s Multi-Generational Workforce Now Working from Anywhere

Polycom commissioned survey finds:

• The majority (98%) state that anywhere working has a positive impact on productivity

• Almost two-thirds (62%) of the global working population take advantage of flexible working practices

• Approximately 91% believe that video collaboration technology helps improve relationships and fosters better teamwork

• Almost two-thirds (62%) ‘want’ access to collaboration technology which can enable them to connect to their colleagues

NEW ZEALAND, 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. It challenges the notion of going to work as we know it with two thirds (62%) of the global population are quite literally working from anywhere. 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:

• 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
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• Almost two thirds (62%) of the global working population are currently taking advantage of flexible working practices
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• 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.

Mei Lin Low, Director, APAC Solutions Marketing, Polycom explains, “With the build of high speed broadband networks across Asia Pacific, collaboration technology can now give people the freedom to work the way they want, regardless of where they are. Flexible working is becoming business-normal; employees expect it and employers need to establish 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 work – they want location liberation and 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. 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 respondents said video collaboration helped them get to know their co-workers better.

Global Workplace Futurist, Jeanne Meister[1] from consulting firm Future Workplace comments, “There is a stigma that remote workers are disconnected from the rest of the team, yet this study proves that they are more sociable and proactively reach out to develop strong relationships. The new technology tools that enable communication and collaboration are motivating workers to pick up the phone, seek face time and create lasting bonds. This is the upside of remote work we rarely talk about.”

Understanding Flexible Working Habits in Asia Pacific

In Asia Pacific (APAC), more than 10,000 respondents participated from five countries: Australia, China, India, Japan and Singapore. Findings showed that almost 60% of workers in Australia, India and Singapore are working flexibly on a frequent basis. In China, 85% of people surveyed said their company offered flexible working arrangements with 87% stating they work with a colleague located in a different office. Japan was the only country that deviates from the global anywhere working trend. Being physically present is still the cultural ‘norm’ with only 35% of Japanese respondents having flexible working available. When it comes to Singapore, only 50% of respondents are working flexibly, however 75% of those working from anywhere have seen a significant improvement in their work life balance.

Findings also revealed the significant impact that technology is having on anywhere working:

• An overwhelming majority (97%) of APAC respondents believed collaboration technologies were important in bringing colleagues closer together, to build relationships and overcome flexible working challenges. Perhaps understandable given the diverse cultural and language differences within Asia Pacific.
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• 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 and 67% of Australians have a work-BFF who’s based in a different office.
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• Getting work completed quickly is a key for China’s millennials with 49% of those in graduate roles believing the main advantage of flexible working is being able to organise impromptu meetings via collaboration technology to get tasks finished faster.
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• In India, more than half (51%) of respondents said they use video multiple times a day to collaborate in the workplace and 98% believe video technology is important for improving productivity when teams are based in different locations.
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• Technology is an essential part of life in Singapore, where 97% of Singaporeans communicate with colleagues and stakeholders using collaboration solutions, regardless of whether they’re working remotely or not.

Commenting on the growth in flexible working within Australia and New Zealand, 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.”

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.sg 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.

[1] Jeanne Meister, Founding Partner, Future Workplace.

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