Are Office Hours Outdated?
|
|
CREDIT: Clock image via Shutterstock
|
Office hours as we know them may be coming to the end of the line, a new survey shows. Today's mobile workers, who are expected to remained connected and readily available everywhere at all times, are discovering they really don't need an office at all. They're found they're more productive and less stressed-out when they're working remotely.
Mobility is increasingly important to today's work force, according to the more than 300 workers ―most of them male, highly affluent and well-educated ―who were surveyed by Wired magazine in collaboration with Marriott Hotels and Resorts.
Sixty-two percent of the survey respondents said it is important to be mobile and accessible in their daily business. The most common remote work location was home (84 percent), followed by a hotel (40 percent) or a local café (24 percent).
The respondents also said they log working hours when they're between locations. Nearly a third (29 percent) said they typically work on airplanes and in airport lounges.
Working remotely increases productivity and reduces stress levels, the survey found. Nearly half of survey respondents (48 percent) said they are more productive when they work outside the office, and about the same (49 percent) said they feel less stressed when working remotely.
The downside of working remotely is the lack of traditional support services. Nearly half of respondents said they had unmet needs when working remotely. Essential features of an ideal mobile workspace include a high-speed Internet connection (according to 82 percent of the respondents), charging stations for their devices (46 percent), privacy (42 percent), comfortable furniture (36 percent) and a quiet environment.
Reach BusinessNewsDaily senior writer Ned Smith at nsmith@techmedianetwork.com. Follow him on Twitter @nedbsmith.We're also on Facebook & Google+.