58 pc Indian office-goers work remotely every week: Report

Around 58 per cent office-goers in India work remotely at least once week, indicating that flexible workplace has reached a tipping point, says a report.

According to an IWG study on flexible working attitudes that surveyed over 18,000 professionals from a range of different industries across 96 countries, two-thirds of global employees work remotely every week.

IWG, the parent group of leading workspace companies including Regus and Spaces, said in India more than half (53 per cent) work remotely for half of the week or more, while more than one in 10 (11 per cent) people work outside of their company's main office location five times a week.

The survey highlighted that 40 per cent Indian professionals believed that their companies are wasting significant amounts of money through underused office space.

Moreover, 95 per cent believe flexible working helps their business grow by enabling employees to be more productive while on the move. The flexibility also allows companies to attract more talent than the regular offices.

"We are entering the era of the mobile workforce and it is hugely exciting. Not just for individual employees, but for businesses too. This is a huge shift in the workspace landscape globally, and businesses are now looking closely at what this means for their corporate real estate portfolios," said Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of IWG.

The IWG survey found that flexible working not only reduces commuting time, but enhances productivity, staff retention, job satisfaction and even creativity. This is in addition to the financial and strategic advantages that it brings for businesses.

"For generations, the world has understood office-based work to involve a fixed location and a 9-5 schedule. But an unprecedented number of businesses are now adopting a very different working model, which produces benefits for them and their workers," it added.

One day soon, flexible working could simply be known as working'. We are reaching the tipping point, Dixon added.