Flexible work practices improve productivity

Around 72 percent of corporates globally report that its employees’ productivity has increased due to flexible work practices while 68 percent link rise in revenue directly to flexible working, research by Regus, a global workplace provider revealed.

It showed that 52 percent of global workers consider the office as a place for occasional use while 58 percent of workers in large corporates predict a decline in the need for office space as a result of future work styles.

Around 60 percent of businesses globally believe that flexible working practices help reduce cost than fixed working practices.

Country Director, Regus, Nirmal de Silva said that flexible working environments boost productivity of workers and sustainable living as it leads to better work-life balance and reduces stress.

“A worker travelling daily from Thalawatugoda to Fort will spend around one and half hours on the road during peak hours. He will be stressed out and as a result his contribution to the organisation will drop.

If this employee could attend to his work at a location with less hassle and travel time he could contribute more and as a result worker productivity will increase,” de Silva said.

He said that there is a demand for flexible work practices especially among the younger generation who prefer to be on the move and get things going.

“We chose Sri Lanka because it is apart of Regus’ Asia Pacific region which includes Autralia, China, India, Malaysia and Indonesia and due to its strategic location, skilled work force, political stability and opportunity across industries,” de Silva said.

Regus provides ‘Business world’, a card based program that enables members to walk-in to Regus business lounges in 104 countries with free wi-fi and a professional working environment.

“Our aim is to change the way companies work globally with business centres offering entrepreneurs, start-ups, SMEs and multinational corporations flexible workspaces. Regus solutions will revolutionise the style of working in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Regus which set up operation in Sri Lanka in 2012 operates five centres and serves around 300 clients. Founded in Brussels in 1989, Regus provides workspaces in 2,300 locations globally supporting around two million customers daily.

The company is also listed in the London Stock Exchange.

It sets up centres to meet customer needs in suburban areas, shopping centres, retail outlets, railway stations, motorway service stations and community centres.

- LF