Fuze, the leading cloud-based communications platform provider for the modern global enterprise, has published a new global study, which reveals that employees no longer want set working hours, office walls, or company structures. Instead, workers are adopting a ‘work-as-a-service’ approach, switching into and out of “work mode” at the touch of a button and at the times and locations that suit them.
The Fuze report, “Workforce Futures: The role of humans in the future of work,” incorporates a global survey of 6,600 employees working in enterprises of more than 500 people from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, Spain, the UK, and the USA. The survey results present unique insights from international academics, futurists, and industry evangelists.
It reveals that while 66 percent of workers don’t feel pressured to work outside of their contracted hours, 73 percent prefer to do so because it is when they are more productive. Nine out of ten employees also believe that flexible hours should be a workplace norm rather than a benefit. For more than half of employees, this issue is so important that they would rather quit their jobs than lose the ability to work flexibly.
“The communications and collaboration market is experiencing a major shift in digital transformation. Our research has uncovered this shift, which is set to shape the future of work as digital workers break free from rigid hours and move fluidly in and out of ‘work mode’ at the push of a button,” said Colin Doherty, CEO, Fuze.
“For enterprises, this is about allowing employees to work when they are the most productive and giving them every opportunity to balance personal commitments and attain a work-life balance. Enabling employees to work when and where they want, while equipping them with the right technology, results in a happier workforce with low churn and high-performing teams.”
The Fuze report uncovered three key trends:
Rejection of rigid and standardised hours
Nine out of ten workers would like flexible work hours, while 69 percent want compressed hours (working their contracted hours over fewer days) or annualised hours (working a set number of hours over the year, but with flexibility over when they work them). More than half of employees (57 percent), also said they would prefer a job with no set hours, while 36 percent find the idea of a short-term or freelance contract appealing.
Family and wellbeing are a priority
Nearly all the workers surveyed (95 percent) say that work-life balance is an important factor when searching for a new job. Forty-three percent agree that ‘improved wellbeing’ is a key reason for wanting to work in a more flexible way. Over a third (37 percent) would like greater flexibility in order to take care of parental or familial responsibilities.
