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The entry of the mobile workforce era has brought about a huge shift in the workspace landscape, which has seen businesses reassessing their corporate real estate portfolios.
A study carried out by IWG on the insights of over 18,000 business people across 96 companies showed that 70 percent of employees work at least one day a week somewhere other than the office, while 53 percent work remotely for half of the week or more, and 11 percent work outside of their company’s main office location five times a week.
In Singapore, 63 percent of employees work at least one day a week somewhere other than the office, while 47 percent work remotely for half of the week or more, and 10 percent work outside their company’s main office location five times a week.
The parent group of leading workspace providers Regus and Spaces, IWG believes that the emergence of the mobile workforce was “driven by technological change, globalisation and changes in employee expectations”.
“New technologies mean many of us can now work anytime, anywhere. The challenge for businesses is how to optimise this new landscape. Companies are realising the benefits of flexible working and its ability to increase productivity, job satisfaction and business performance,” said IWG group managing director and global head of brands and ventures Ian Hallett.
Businesses in Singapore, for instance, have recognised that offering flexible working strategies for their employees resulted in significant benefits. Around 81 percent of respondents felt that flexible working helped in retaining top talent, while 65 percent are now offering this to help them recruit.
Meanwhile, 82 percent believe flexible working allows employees to be more productive while on the move.
In fact, the study found that flexible working and the use of shared workspaces are no longer the domain of start-ups as some of the world’s most successful businesses, such as Microsoft, Oracle, Mastercard, Diesel, Etihad Airways, GSK and Uber are now adopting a workspace approach.
“Changes in technology and digitalisation have led to a growing use of on-demand services generally in business, with organisations of all sizes wanting to increasingly outsource non-core activities,” said IWG founder and CEO Mark Dixon.
“Flexible working, supported by a professional on-demand workspace network, is now being discussed by senior leaders across functions in companies including risk management, business development, human resources, marketing and strategy.
“One day soon, flexible working could simply be known as ‘working’. We are reaching the tipping point.”
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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