1 in 3 Aussie CxOs to support flexible work in 2014

One in three Australian CxOs plan to support flexible workplace paradigms including remote and mobile working and activity-based working (ABW) in 2014, according to a new survey from Canon.

ABW is a new approach to office design. Rather than consign workers to their own desks, offices are slit into multiple environments such as collaborative meeting rooms, team desks and quiet concentration rooms.

“The nature of work is changing, giving rise to ‘Work 3.0’ - a new reality that sees people, different work styles, workspaces and technology that enables smarter working come together to create an organisation that is highly responsive to the needs of their customers [and] engages their employees,” Canon Business Services Director Craig Manson said.

But respondents also feel that inefficient business processes are standing in the way of their company reaping the benefits of flexible working.

CxOs feel workers are wasting too much time on repetitive and manual administrative tasks - 63% state that the average worker wastes between 2 to 10 hours per week on these tasks and 64% want automation to be a high priority in 2014.

Around 78% of the 1047 respondents to the survey also believe they could achieve greater productivity and growth though mobilising their processes.

In addition, 63% of CxOs say they are struggling to find the correct technology products to facilitate flexible work adoption.

Image courtesy of Rob Pearce under CC