Poll: Two-fifths cite lack of leadership buy in as the main barrier to flexible working

Employee Benefits poll: Approximately two-fifths (39%) of respondents cite a lack of leadership buy-in as the main barrier to introducing flexible working at their organisation.

A straw poll of www.employeebenefits.co.uk readers, which received 84 responses, also found that 37% believe organisational culture hampers the introduction of flexible arrangements, while 20% state that the nature of work at their organisation is not conducive of flexibility.

A small minority (4%) think that access to technology is the main issue for their business. However, no respondents believe there is a lack of employee demand for flexible working opportunities.

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The Global workplace survey, published by flexible workspace provider IWG in March 2019, found that 58% of UK respondents see organisational culture as the main barrier to implementing a flexible workspace policy, which is defined as the ability to choose and change workplace locations. Furthermore, 43% stated that fear of how flexible working might impact the overall organisational culture is the biggest obstacle.

Of the 2,153 UK respondents, 73% felt that flexible working has become the new normal, with 80% believing they would choose a job which offered flexible working over a job that did not. Over the past 10 years, 84% of UK organisations have implemented a flexible workspace policy or are planning to adopt one.

Half (50%) of UK professionals state that they work outside their organisation’s main location for at least half of their working week, while for 70%, a choice of work environment is a key factor when evaluating new career opportunities.

More than four-fifths (82%) of UK professionals plan to improve talent retention by introducing flexible working; this is particularly pertinent, as 30% revealed that they would prioritise being able to work flexibly over having a more prestigious role. In addition, 81% of UK respondents believe that flexible working improves work-life balance.