The research commissioned by Orange has unveiled the workplace hopes and aspirations for the class of 2010. Of the 1,000 university leavers Orange spoke with, over half (53%) expected flexible working (meaning either from a location of their choosing or outside of ‘traditional’ office hours) as standard when they begin their jobs, with 69% stressing that the option to work flexibly was important to them.

According to the research, access to technology is important, with nearly half (45%) expecting to be able to access email and work files remotely. Businesses need to ensure that the right technology and security measures are in place to support this.

The top five areas students said were important in their first job included learning experiences (69%), happiness (58%), flexible working (53%), good salary (51%) and great colleagues (43%).

In addition, the significance of physical and social networks to employees is an area which Orange continues to find important to individuals, as an additional 43% feel that access to networking sites such as Facebook or LinkedIn is key as they begin to build up their contact lists for their professional development.

Max Taylor, director of corporate marketing at Orange, said: “Today’s graduates are far more digitally savvy than their counterparts of 10 – or even five – years ago.  They expect to be able to work on the move and make use of tools like social media and the internet wherever they are.  Enabling this type of working for the new generation of employees coming into the workplace can be a real asset to businesses.”

Find out more about remote working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Hrmagazine.co.uk.

Recent studies have pointed out that flexible work arrangements are beneficial for both employees and employers.

Stephen Overell, associate director for The Work Foundation said: “It is true that there is an awfully long way to go, but I think in the future we will see much more adoption of flexible working and many more different forms of flexible working.”

His comments follow in the wake of recent research, carried out by Hays, which revealed that 46 per cent of workers reported that their employers did not make allowances for flexible working.

Another report published by PricewaterhouseCoopers indicated that flexible working arrangements were valued the most by both male and female employees, as a decent work-life balance was ranked higher than increases in responsibility and salary.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Thomsons.com.

However, it was also revealed that nearly a third (29%) of employees would take less time off work if their organisation made flexible working provisions.

The survey of European workers revealed more than one in five (21%) Brits feigned illness the last time they took a day off work, while only half (52%) took their last sick day for a genuine physical or mental illness.

A spokesperson for the company that conducted the research stated that over 35 million days taken as fictitious sick leave is costing the UK economy millions. These are also probably conservative figures, considering the number of people who do not admit to faking sickness.

It’s been suggested that employers would be well advised to tackle the issues of sickness and workplace absence head on, as these seriously impact efficiency and hit their balance sheets.

Improving the work-life balance of employees through flexible and home working policies are likely to decrease the amount of ‘sickies’, as they have been proven to improve staff motivation.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Employeebenefits.co.uk.

Transport minister Norman Baker has called on the nation’s employers to step up their flexible working commitments, arguing that such a practice would benefit both workers and their bosses.

In addition to helping workers enjoy a better work-life balance, introducing a system where staff members work from home at least one day every two weeks would also help reduce transport congestion across the UK.

Mr Baker believes that the initiatives he’s working on will have a huge impact on workers and do away with the troublesome rush hour. This is because reducing demand will in turn reduce congestion, pollution and stress in commuters’ daily lives.

Meanwhile, occupational health experts have similarly called on employers to do more to allow their workers to enjoy greater flexibility in their roles.

Find out more about remote working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Gradplus.com.

A survey by the charity found that the UK scored a ‘B’ grade when it comes to flexible working and work-life balance.

It showed British employers are top among European nations in allowing staff to switch from full- to part-time work and are among the leaders in offering flexible working arrangements.

The coalition government has promised to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees, consulting with business on how best to do so, but the FPI would like to see this happen within the next 12 months.

It believes that in the longer term, all British workers should have the right to flexible working, not just the right to request flexible working, with employers becoming better informed about the issue.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Employeebenefits.co.uk.

This is the view of mental health experts who believe that later starting times or barrier-free policies to facilitate medical appointments might enable some sufferers to make an excellent recovery and successful transition back into working life.

Small changes can often help and encourage people to remain in work or get them back to work. This sort of reasonable adjustment that flexible working offers can make a world of difference.

Due to the economic downturn there’s been an increasing amount of Brits being diagnosed with mental illness, with experts stating that ten per cent of Brits will experience some type of depression in any given year.

Bringing in these options to people who might benefit could ultimately help organisations retain skills and expertise without having to recruit and train new staff.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on efd.org.uk.

This is the view of experts who argue that productivity should be based on targets being attained rather than hours being spent in the office.

Recently it has been revealed that many employees benefit from being able to work from home.

Indeed, while some people benefit from sitting at a desk and focusing for hours at a time, others find it easier and more beneficial to work in shorter bursts and take regular breaks.

However, while not denying the benefits that mobile working technology brings, it is also important to have unified communications in place to keep home-based workers motivated and engaged.

This is because it is vital to maintain regular contact by email and phone also occasionally face-to-face or video conference so virtual workers don’t feel as though they are lost in the system.

Find out more about remote working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Outsourcery.co.uk.

Ed Miliband has written in the Daily Mirror that he would like to see the right to flexible job patterns extended to each worker in the UK.

The politician noted individuals need to be offered a better balance between work and the other aspects of their lives.

Miliband believes that employees should value the quality of life as much as the quality of jobs and would like to give every employee the right to flexible working.

Mr Miliband added such a move would prove beneficial for the economy and stressed many people are stuck in jobs where they work too long hours for not enough pay.

In its recent ‘Making Britain the Place to Work’ paper, CBI suggested flexible working is essential if businesses and jobs are to be sustained during periods of economic uncertainty.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Codestone.net.

Research carried out by found that around one in five small British businesses now operates without a fixed office.

This movement away from the traditional workplace is being driven largely by increasing uptake of mobile working technology, including broadband mobile services.

In particular, the research found IT, sales and marketing and customer services-based businesses to be the biggest benefactors of this movement towards broadband mobile solutions, with the trend expected to continue for some time yet.

Although we live in straightened times, those building businesses in this environment are adopting new technologies, services and ways of working as a way to survive and thrive.

This comes as businesses are being advised to make use of broadband mobile technology so as to give their employees the flexibility they need to get on with their jobs and maintain a good work-life balance.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Outsourcery.co.uk.

This is the view of the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), in response to figures gathered by recruitment specialists Hays, which revealed firms are not realising the potential of remote access employment.

The specialist noted flexible working is the key for enterprises wanting to get the best out of their staff members.

If organisations remain inflexible in terms of the type of employment they offer then it could be shutting itself off to reams of top talent.

The CMI believes employers should focus less on the bureaucracy of the hours and location in which people work and more on the quality and quantity of their productivity.

Labour party leader candidate Ed Miliband recently stated he believes every worker in the UK should have the right to request flexible working patterns.

Find out more about flexible working technology at the Interchange Group.

As featured on Codestone.net.