Reduced overhead expenses, improved productivity among benefits for Canadian firms
Eighty-eight per cent of Canadian companies offer staff some form of flexible working, according to a global research report from Regus, a workplace solutions service provider headquartered in the United Kingdom.
The majority of those same companies are finding flexible working has significant benefits, including reduced overhead expenses, improved staff productivity and work-life balance. Additionally, 66 per cent of Canadian companies believe flexible working costs less than fixed office working.
"Flexible working becoming the norm is truly good news for everyone because its benefits are so significant and widespread,” said Wes Lenci, regional vice-president at Regus for Canada. “Beyond just the employers and employees, families, wider society and even the environment experience improvements,"
More than 65 per cent of businesses offering flexible working said their staff have significantly better work-life balance, improving satisfaction and motivation. In addition, one-third believe flexible working improves staff productivity and helps them scale quickly to cope with rapid growth. More than 30 per cent of flexible working businesses also feel their policy helps them access a wider talent pool, in addition to enabling them to employ staff in more remote locations.
However, trust remains a major hurdle for many companies offering flexible working, so 45 per cent of Canadian businesses only offer this privilege to senior staff, found the survey.
More than 17,000 business respondents from the Regus global contacts database were interviewed during February 2011 about their views on the economic outlook and on flexible working practices.
