Europe’s largest Unified Communications and Collaboration event, today reveals the results of its ‘State of the Unified Communications and Collaboration Nation’ survey. 

The survey of 1,000 British workers reveals that while 80 percent believe flexible working should be an option for all, two thirds of businesses are failing to provide the right tools and technologies to make this a reality. While industry commentators see UC&C as a high growth market that’s expected to be worth $17.38 billion by 2019 – up from $5.15 billion last year, the survey indicates UK businesses are yet to fully invest. This is despite clear acceptance of the demand for flexible working and the business benefits the deployment of UC&C can offer, for both employees and the C-Suite alike:

– 80 percent believe flexible working should be an option for all

– 48 percent of employees claim that this would result in increased productivity

– Just under 50 percent of workers argue they would be happier at work if they were able to work remotely

– 64 percent of C-level executives believe productivity would increase through employees working more flexibly

– 80 percent of C-Level executives argue that the offer of flexible working attracts a better quality of candidate. The survey goes on to identify a clear disconnect between the apparent benefits of the deployment of UC&C and the reality of implementation for many organisations. 

Roadblock obstacles include:

Increased security risks:

– 72 percent of those surveyed cited security as the biggest issue if employees used their own devices for work

– This is despite the fact that 57 percent of workers surveyed already claim to use personal accounts such as file sharing, social media, voice, or instant messaging to do their jobs better

– 45 percent were concerned about the cost and complexity of implementing the necessary technology

– 45 percent were worried about the employee ‘skiving’ despite the fact that fewer than 30 percent of employers monitor work output and activity, even though the technology to do so exists

Bradley Maule-ffinch, Director UC Group, Imago Techmedia, comments; “The workplace is changing dramatically and enterprise mobility is becoming a more pervasive reality. The survey shows clear trends that employees are ready for flexible working and that businesses at the very least at C-level realise the need to be more flexible in their offerings to attract the best and brightest digital natives. It is vital businesses stop accepting the status quo, and implement the appropriate technology, to not only solve the immediate business concerns of today but the demands of a new generation of workers and business issues of tomorrow.”