Mobile workers are happier, healthier and more productive, says our survey

And more annoying

Susan Boyle

Mobile workers get more done. But is that because they work from home, or work on the move?

A study on flexible working by Travel Counsellors has found that employees allowed to work flexibly are healthier, more productive and spend more time with their family than their rigid counterparts.

Over 3,000 employees were studied, on behalf of phone maker Avaya. They found that flexible workers can save 39 working days a year by not commuting. They told researchers they spent the extra time with their families (in 56 per cent of cases), relaxing (45 per cent) or attending appointments they’d usually do in work hours (42 per cent). Or indeed, talking to researchers who phoned them at home.

One in five people used the extra hours to put in more work, while a quarter fitted some exercise into their weekly schedule.

Avaya claimed today that the Government's new flexible working legislation will have a positive effect on family life in the UK. However, the effect of flexible time on incidents of marital infidelity was not measured.

Michael Bayer, president of field operations at Avaya, warned that the figures could shock unprepared employers, as 69 per cent of working parents are not currently working on a flexible basis, and could insist on being allowed to work in this way.

The reduction in commuting could have a massively positive social impact, he said. But it is the financial consequences Bayer found most interesting. “The effect of increased productivity and the extra time spent working by a dedicated one fifth of employees could have a profound impact on European businesses. Extrapolate this up to the level of the economy and you can imagine flexible working as a turbo-charge for productivity across the region," said Bayer.

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