A new report has revealed that UK businesses could potentially lose 6.6 million hours and £1.6bn per week if they fail to embrace smarter ways of working.
The report urged Britain’s businesses to adopt an Anywhere Office approach by using technology devices to drive growth, claiming that mobile technology alone can help businesses save £2.2bn per week by improving efficiency.
46% of employees and 68% of senior managers said that breaking the 9 to 5 work pattern is leading to greater success and helping them become more efficient.
However, only 48% of businesses have integrated digital into their business strategy.
The increased use of mobile technologies is allowing organisations across the private and public sectors have real cash and time efficiencies.
31% think that using technology like smartphones and collaboration software at work enables them to save time in their working week.
55% of employers believe the use of technology at work enhances colleague collaboration, while 44% said it facilitates greater business efficiency and 37% cited it leads to increased customer satisfaction.
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According to the report, 80% of senior managers in the professional services sector agree that remote working is becoming increasingly common in their organisation, when compared to 58% in the retail and leisure industries.
The research, commissioned by O2, has suggested five key points of advice to businesses on the introduction of an Anywhere Office.
They include the introduction of flexible working hours, equipping employees to work securely from anywhere, providing access to fast and reliable connectivity, getting a web-based data storage service, and making journeys more efficient.
O2 business director Ben Dowd said: "In the wake of the Bank of England’s latest Inflation Report, the productivity of Britain’s businesses is under more scrutiny than ever. But our report shows that it’s not about making the country work harder – it’s about using the technology already at the fingertips of businesses to work smarter.
"Taking this approach doesn’t mean employees should be accessible 24/7; it means giving people the option to work in a way that suits them, in order to drive maximum productivity and – in turn – power economic growth for the UK as a whole."
