Flexible and remote working is now considered acceptable by many businesses according to research by two UK universities.
York and Birmingham Universities found that the two years of Covid lockdowns had changed managers’ attitudes and many now believed that it actually improved productivity.
While three quarters of managers were now of this view 62.5% of them also believed that it boosts motivation, the research found.
It also found that there was a growing use by businesses of surveillance software to monitor remote workers, monitoring emails and time spent working.
Given the cost pressures that businesses are under these findings could benefit them in other ways.
The Government’s recent announcement that energy support schemes for businesses will be scaled back by switching to a new flat rate per unit discount, which is claimed to be six times less generous than the current scheme it may be that businesses could downsize from their current premises if they are happy for their employees to work remotely.
Doing so would reduce their energy costs significantly and mitigate the effects of the ending of the current energy price cap in March.
The director of the BCC (British Chambers of Commerce) has urged the Government to consider other support measures to help businesses “otherwise we’re going around in circles.”.
She added that 2023 is going to be a “critical year for the UK economy”.
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