Businesses across the UK are embracing the new trend that is helping them cut costs, attract talent and dramatically improve productivity.

Technology has changed the way we communicate and is currently changing the way we work. Gone are the days when office workers spent every working moment in a faceless cubicle, working in a vacuum. The rise of digital communication tools, collaboration applications and productivity suites, coupled with the benefits of the ‘always on’ nature of the web, have freed modern businesses from their IT chains.

Flexible working is the natural evolution of work in this brave new digital world. Today, businesses large and small can operate anywhere, anytime.

What do we understand by flexible work?

Essentially, it means freeing yourself and your colleagues or employees to work in the way that suits you best. That may mean mobile work via your smartphone; work from different locations thanks to remote access to the company network; holding meetings via video conferencing; Working at home; and flexible hours, which allow staff to adjust their work schedule, coming in at 6 am and leaving at 2 pm instead of the typical nine to five. At the heart of it all is technology that helps your team work the way that works best for them, from anywhere.

Flexible working is not a new concept. A recent survey by workplace provider Regus shows that 83% of companies already offer flexible working to staff. The concepts of hot desking and video conferencing have become common parlance in the business language. Smartphones and laptops are ubiquitous. New business tools and software, once the preserve of start-ups, have ensured that even large international corporations with thousands of employees can adopt flexible working practices. In fact, more than 65% of Fortune 100 companies are already deploying or testing whiteboard computers to help facilitate flexible working, and if it’s good enough for the world’s top publicly traded companies, it just might be good enough. good for business.

flexibility is key

The global population of mobile workers will grow to almost 1.2 billion by 2013, more than a third of the global workforce. The benefits for companies are multiple. By implementing the technology and processes to facilitate flexible working, rigid and outdated infrastructure can be overhauled, representing significant cost savings: Currently, around 70% of IT budgets are spent on maintaining IT equipment. Inflexible and isolated data centers.

Flexible working can also be invaluable for both recruiting and retaining staff, especially those with family commitments. It is a legal obligation to consider flexible work requests from parents with young families, and the government has considered extending the law to include a broader demographic. However, beyond the legal requirements, research by WorkingMums.co.uk shows that expectant or new parents are more likely to stay in employment if their employer offers some work-at-home or flexibility. Beyond parents, flexible working can help maintain work-life balance for all employees, as they have the right systems and technologies in place to improve

By reducing the time your staff spend traveling and giving them the tools they need to work on the go when they travel, downtime becomes a productive enterprise again. Over time, these hours add up. And it is not only companies that benefit, but also people. The boost to morale and productivity generated by eliminating an employee’s daily commute or endless trips to and from meetings cannot be underestimated.

Are you ready to be flexible?

A cultural shift towards more work/life balance has created a genuine need for a new way of working. And companies are crying out for ways to increase productivity while lowering costs. Add this to the growing awareness of the environmental and financial impact of endless travel for work, and all signs are pointing in one direction: that flexible working is the way of the future.

Businesses cannot afford to remain rigidly in the past. The businesses that will thrive today and tomorrow are those that can be truly flexible.