Press release
Home working can improve job performance, lifestyle and the
environment, say UK workers
- Saving money and managing stress levels are rated as the most
important benefits of home working
- Working from home helps employees to feel ‘greener’
- General banter and gossip cited as the biggest workplace
distraction
30 July, 2007. The UK workforce believes that working from home
can improve job performance, enhance lifestyle and reduce
environmental impact, according to a study* released today by
ntl:Telewest Business, part of the Virgin Media Group. Despite the
nation-wide poll showing that many employees believe home working
has multiple benefits, 70 per cent of workers are still confined to
the office.
The environmental impact of more people working from home is
gaining recognition among UK office workers. More than half (52 per
cent) of UK adults who could or do work from home believed that
reducing their commute made, or would make them, a ‘greener’
person. With the average commute to the office for British workers
currently at 58 minutes , there is a strong case for this point of
view. However, although the environmental benefits of home working
were well recognised, they weren’t ranked as the most important
benefit.
UK workers valued the increased time that working from home
would allow them to spend with their family the most. Saving money
and managing stress levels were also considered to be of greater
importance than the green agenda.
“The home working revolution is continuing to gather pace in
this country. The pressures of the rat race mean that many people
want to work from home permanently or occasionally,” said Stephen
Beynon, MD, ntl:Telewest Business.
“As more employers make home working an option, so employees are
recognising the impact that commuting and office environments have
on our planet and on themselves. Equally, home working can be
positive for employers. If your people work from home more, you’re
likely to have a healthier and more productive workforce, as well
as lower office overheads,” he said.
Health and wellbeing were also important home working
considerations, according to the workers surveyed. More than half
(54 per cent) said that cutting their commuting by working from
home would, or had, led to them having greater control over their
productivity and stress levels as well as their workload.
Other responses that could impact the benefits and
practicalities of home working were:
- Just 40 per cent said they made more of an effort to be green
than their employer
- 39 per cent thought they would get ill less because they would
be exposed to fewer germs
- 50 per cent that they would eat less pre-packed food if they
work from home
However, the survey identified a need for companies to do more
to recreate some of the things home workers missed about their
offices. The drawbacks of working from home were missing out on
social interaction (56 per cent), being less in touch with company
changes (22 per cent) and slower computer access to the corporate
network (18 per cent).
ntl:Telewest Business recently completed the upgrade of its
entire £13 billion network to next-generation speeds to help
satisfy growing demand for digital services such as those used by
home-based workers. The network offers the means to deploy
converged services, offer resilience, operational flexibility and
ease of use across the entire workforce, regardless of where
individuals are working from. That makes home working realistic for
many more organisations and their employees, creating the fabric
for a happier, healthier and more productive workforce.
* GFK NOP questioned 1,000 representative people aged 16+
nation-wide on behalf of ntl:Telewest Business via telephone
between 6th – 8th July 2007.
About ntl:Telewest Business
ntl:Telewest Business, part of the UK’s second largest fixed-line
telecommunications company, is a leading communications provider to
businesses, public sector organisations and service providers in
the UK. It delivers a complete portfolio of voice, data and
internet solutions nation-wide.
ntl:Telewest Business sales and support teams are located across
the UK, in close proximity to our customers, as part of a
commitment to deliver superior customer service.
ntl:Telewest Business delivers services over the Group’s £13bn
investment in its state-of-the-art infrastructure giving business
customers access to the largest alternative network in the UK.
ntl:Telewest Business is trusted to provide critical
communications to high profile customers including: Heathrow's
Terminal 5, Birmingham City Council and Cambridgeshire County
Council.
For further information go to http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk
ntl:Telewest Business press contacts:
Rebecca Tyrer, PR Manager
ntl:Telewest Business
T: 01483 582335 E: rebecca.tyrer@virginmedia.co.uk
Steve Earl, Press Office
Rainier PR
T: 020 7494 6574
E: searl@rainierpr.co.uk
