GUEST BLOG: Flexible working – a tech revolution

By Karen Lawlor, country manager for Ireland at Regus

For over 120 years, the workplace – the office – has been dominated by fixed technology. From the Remington typewriter to IBM’s PC in the 1980s, there has always been heavy IT equipment on desks that has tied employees to their office.

The IT revolution of the 21st century has fundamentally changed this. Widespread adoption of technology such as laptops, BlackBerrys, virtual servers and the cloud means that having one set location to do work has become archaic. In fact, research shows that at any one point in time, the majority of desks in an office (55%) are empty. Employees now use office spaces in different ways than they did before.

With this in mind, flexible working is becoming a trend that is rising fast up IT executives’ to-do lists, especially following the news that Dublin is now the sixth-most congested city in Europe, with traffic congestion adding an average of 96 hours a year to travel time for commuters [1].  Particularly for firms in Dublin’s commuter belt, flexible working is becoming an imperative to avoid staff getting caught up in transport problems.

But having the right technology in place is essential, and the CIO has a key role in enabling workers to work flexibly: employees will need the right tools to enable them to work from anywhere at any time.

The effect of this trend is positive for businesses, as the long-term benefits of flexible working are many. For employees, it offers a more balanced life: staff typically feel healthier, more energised and more motivated. For employers, flexible working delivers benefits to the bottom line: greater productivity and revenue generation leads to increased profitability.

The good news is that the technology is often already in place. A survey by Regus shows that 59% of workers believe they have the right technology tools to work anywhere. The introduction of mobile, portable technology and the ability to communicate across a distance at little or no cost is truly challenging the traditional rules of office life.

Besides, the business case for further investing in IT to enable flexible working is strong. When we asked Irish senior business managers about flexible working, three quarters reported that their workforce’s productivity has increased as a result of flexible working practices, and 52 per cent claim it is lower cost than fixed-location working. What board of directors would not sign off on making this happen?

Of course, the office will remain a place in which work can take place, but it is just that: one place among many.

Interestingly, when given the choice to work flexibly, workers do not choose to work from home or the office; they instead prefer to work from a ‘third place’. This is a place in between the home and the office that offers both a shorter commute and a professional environment – a place that people can drop into, connect and work.

Regus is pioneering this development with its ‘Regus Express’ centres, designed as drop-in hubs for mobile and flexible workers at new, exciting locations such as motorway service areas, retail parks, hotels, banks and airports. These are already open at retail and transport hubs across Europe, including on the UK motorway network and in major shopping centres. Regus is actively looking for third place partners in Ireland.

Flexible and remote working may be at the forefront of CIOs’ minds when there is  travel disruption, but its direct link to productivity and increased revenue guarantees that it is a long-term trend CIOs cannot afford to ignore.

Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workspace with centres in 103 countries. Its customers include Google, Twitter and Toshiba as well as thousands of SMEs.

[1] Herald.ie ‘City gridlock adds 96 hours to commute’, 04/06/2014