THE CHANGING WORLD OF WORK

Digital Whitepaper

Executive SummaryIdeas of flexible working have moved beyond

the option to work from the office or from

home, to being able to work anywhere. The

reality of anywhere working, however, varies

widely across companies and countries.

To get a better understanding of the

expectations of today’s workers and what

the future of work holds for them, Polycom

commissioned research on global trends

and attitudes towards anywhere working.

This paper summarises the key findings.

The research highlights that nearly two

thirds of the global workforce currently take

advantage of anywhere working. The most

popular reported benefits of anywhere

working are perceived to be its contribution

to a better work-life balance and productivity,

which topped the list among respondents.

THE SHIFT FROM FLEXIBLE TO ANYWHERE WORKING

ANYWHERE WORKING ON THE RISE

Culture is key

Age does matter

Apprehensions of anywhere working

Conquering concerns

Technology means teamwork

HOW DO WE ACHIEVE TRANSFORMATION ACROSS NATIONS?

METHODOLOGY

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The survey also reveals some common

concerns about anywhere working, such

as the fear of being perceived as less

hardworking. It also reveals the difference

between the approach to anywhere

working of more experienced 45 – 60

year old employees and their millennial

counterparts (18 – 30 years old).

For anywhere working to be successful,

the right technology, in particular video

collaboration technology, is crucial. One of

the advantages of anywhere working is its

ability to adapt to the individual and their

needs. While this flexibility contributes to

its effectiveness and appeal, there must

be some core technology in place to

make today’s vision a long-term reality.

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Conversations about the role of flexible

working in “the future of work” have shifted.

It’s no longer enough to simply have the

option of working from home or the office.

We want to be able to work anywhere.

Primarily this expectation of anywhere

working has been driven by millennials

(18-34 year olds), who have grown up

using mobile devices. However, attitudes

are shifting across all age groups. Most

of us have been using laptops, tablets

or smartphones as essential parts of our

daily lives for over two decades. Naturally,

we expect to have the same mobility

when it comes to our working life.

THE SHIFT FROM FLEXIBLE TO ANYWHERE WORKING

Organisations that want

to attract and retain top

talent in the fast-developing

app economy need to

adapt their culture and

technology to accommodate

this shift in attitudes¹.

Organisations that want to attract and

retain top talent in the fast-developing app

economy need to adapt their culture and

technology to accommodate this shift in

attitudes¹. To get a better understanding of

the expectations of today’s workers, Polycom

commissioned research on global trends

and attitudes towards anywhere working.

This paper summarises the key findings².

1. Flexible Working: Goodbye 9 to 5, Institute of Leadership and

Management. 2013.

2. Work Anywhere Global Survey, Morar Consulting. 2017

ANYWHERE WORKING ON THE RISE

Yes, and I work in this way often

Yes, and I work in this way from time to time

Yes, but I cannot becuase my request was denied

Yes, but I don’t take advatage of it because I prefer an o�ce routine

Yes, but I don’t qualify because my role means I need to be on-side at all times

Yes, but I dont’ because I think it will harm my career prospects to work remotely

Yes, but I don’t do it because they don’t provide the right technology to work productively from anywhere

No

Germany

US

UK

Canada

France

China

Russia

Singapore

Japan

10%

9%

10%

15%

28%

29%

24%

20%

21%

33%

38%

41%

54%

36%

32%32%

29%

29%

22%19%

26%35

%

34%

29% 31%

32%

28%

32%34%

31%

12%

29%

Brazil

India

Australia

43%

15%

32%

8%

DOES YOUR COMPANY OFFER FLEXIBLE WORKING*?

Currently, nearly two thirds of the global

workforce take advantage of anywhere

working. Compared to May 2012, when

only 14% benefitted from remote working,

this is a huge and relatively fast shift in

working culture . Our research of over

24,000 respondents across 12 countries

suggests this trend is evident across the

globe. The research also provides insights

into attitudes about anywhere working

across different cultures and age groups.

CULTURE IS KEY

Not all cultures approach work in the

same way, so variations in preferences

from country to country are inevitable.

The research revealed that Brazilians

are ahead of the curve, with 80% of

employees adopting anywhere working -

more than any other country surveyed.

At the other end of the spectrum is Japan,

where only 35% of companies offer any

form of flexible or anywhere working policy.

This contrast in culture is not completely

unexpected. Historically, the Japanese

work culture has rewarded long hours and

‘presenteeism’ (being physically present

in the office), and in 2014 the Japanese

government even put measures in place

to prevent ‘karoshi’ – death by overwork4.

Fortunately, this shows that the attitude to

work is changing, but the survey results

show that compared to the rest of the

world the shift is much slower for Japan5.

The survey also explored what different

cultures perceive as the top benefits of

working anywhere. The most popular

reported benefit of anywhere working is its

contribution to a better work-life balance.

Countries including China (72%), Canada

(70%) and Australia (68%) all agreed that this

is the main advantage. Another key benefit is

productivity, which topped the list of benefits

among respondents from Brazil (75%).

Some common concerns about anywhere

working were also revealed in the survey

responses. More than half (62%) of all

respondents (and more than two thirds of

Russian and Indian respondents) said their

biggest concern is being perceived as less

hardworking if they adopt the practice.

There are, however, other factors that impact

attitudes around anywhere working besides

culture. Different age groups also highlighted

different attitudes to anywhere working.

3. Flexible Working Provision and Uptake Survey Report, CIPD. 2012.

4. Japan: one fifth of employees at risk of death from overwork –

report, The Guardian. 2016. And Japanese still suffer ‘death by

overwork’ as long hours persist, FT.com. 2016.

5. Is Japan’s culture of overwork finally changing?, BBC News

Online, 2016.

5

16–29

30–44

45–59

> 59

You can work anywhere and be more productive

61%

59%69%

64%

You save money on travel

25%28%

20% 20%

You have more time to exercise/

enjoy hobbies

29%

27%

38%

32%

39%

You avoid the stress of commute

into the o�ce

36%

22%

29%

You have the choice to take control of your

work-life balance

70%

74%73%

68%

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BIGGEST ADVANTAGE OF FLEXIBLE WORKING?

AGE DOES MATTER

The research highlights the difference

between the approach to anywhere

working of respondents of 45-60

years old and millennials (around

18-30 years old) in particular.

Just over half (51%) of 45-60 year olds

said they regularly take advantage of

anywhere working, compared to 70%

of millennials. This may be a result of

these two categories gravitating towards

different working cultures that offer different

opportunities for anywhere working, as

just 15% of millennials said their employers

do not offer anywhere working, compared

to 36% of their parents’ generation.

Alongside this, it may not be coincidence

that the most popular industry for

millennials to work in is technology,

while for 45-60 year olds, the top named

industry is manufacturing, which is more

likely to require workers remain on site

due to the nature of the job compared

to technology firms, which adopt more

modern communication technologies.

When it comes to reasons for working

anywhere, while both age groups agreed

that getting the right work-life balance is

the key advantage of anywhere working,

the 45-60-year-old category is more

bothered by the stress of travelling to

work than millennials. Around 35% of

the more experienced workers said that

avoiding the commute is an advantage of

anywhere working compared to just 22% of

millennials. Wellness is also a consideration

for many respondents, as 39% of millennials

see having more time to exercise as an

advantage of being able to work anywhere,

compared to 30% of 45-60 year olds,

who do not prioritise this as highly.

APPREHENSIONS OF

ANYWHERE WORKING

Naturally, the survey also revealed some

concerns around anywhere working. The

main worry (62%) is the perception that

colleagues will believe an individual is not

working as hard if they are not in the office.

However, when we look at different age

groups and levels of seniority, other

concerns emerge. Over half (59%) of 45-60

year olds worry that anywhere working will

cause them to work longer hours. The fear

of over-working or an ‘always-on’ culture

can be a big deterrent for this age group,

and is one that needs to be addressed by

business leaders if anywhere working is to

become an accepted culture in businesses.

Those in managerial and C-Suite positions

also tend to worry about being perceived

as less hard working but one of the key

findings in the research when looking at

seniority is concern around distractions.

40% of those in more senior positions

said that one of their biggest concerns

was that they will be distracted, with

CXOs being most concerned (36%).

CONQUERING CONCERNS

A common theme underlying concerns

around anywhere working is a lack of trust.

Employers need to trust employees, and

employees need to trust each other. And

all workers need to trust themselves. A

first step in enabling this trust is ensuring

workers are measured by output, not

by hours worked or presenteeism.

Respondents were asked how their

companies could improve trust amongst

workers and improve perceptions of

anywhere working to overcome the

concerns highlighted in the research. The

most popular recommendations were to:

• Equip workers with technology that

is easy to use and which connects

them to their colleagues (62%).

• Ensure the same policies are applied

to everyone in the business, regardless

of seniority or situation (60%).

• Provide guidelines on how to

manage anywhere working (53%).

Globally, 91% agreed that technology is

a key factor in improving relationships

and fostering better teamwork.

These responses suggest that

workers and leaders see the value of

investing in technology to get more

out of individuals and teams.

65%

30%

64

62 62

63 63

61

53

52

62

57

30

31

35

38

32

CEO/VP+

Director/Senior Manager

Manager

Junior Manager

Graduate Role

Others in the company won’t think I’m working

as hard as them

I might end up working longer

I don’t trust myself to get started/stay focussed

DOES YOUR COMPANY OFFER FLEXIBLE WORKING*?

Communication is widely enhanced by

the use of video. Voice-only calls, email or

instant messages (IM) lack the face-to-face

engagement that is essential to building

rapport, team spirit and productivity. Video

can help bridge that gap while also enriching

other types of interaction. For example,

the survey found that people who use

video collaboration tools often are more

likely to pick up the phone and chat to

someone to solve a quick question (46%),

rather than IM (37%). Furthermore, 49% of

workers worldwide said they considered

their tone in emails more carefully if they

spoke to the recipient on video as well.

TECHNOLOGY MEANS TEAMWORK

The right technology, in particular video

collaboration technology, is crucial for

successful anywhere working. 75% of those

surveyed said that they use collaboration

technologies regularly to communicate with

stakeholders based elsewhere. While there

are variations in preferences around how

respondents communicate, all countries

apart from Japan are using collaboration

technology regularly. Brazilians, for example,

are particularly committed to keeping in

touch, with 64% of respondents from Brazil

saying they use video to communicate

several times a day. This is not an isolated

theme: 37% globally said they use video more

than once a day to collaborate, and 89%

said that they use it at least once a month.

Video is also recognised as a significant

element of relationship building when

it comes to anywhere working, and

64% of respondents said that video

conferencing technology made it easier

to build relationships. In big countries like

India or China, where teams are more

dispersed, this is particularly important:

64% of Chinese workers and 72% of Indian

workers noted feeling that they know

their colleagues more personally thanks

to the regular use of video technology.

People who use video

collaboration tools often are

more likely to pick up the

phone and chat to someone

to solve a quick question

(51%), rather than IM (46%).

Furthermore, 49% of

workers worldwide said

they considered their tone

in emails more carefully if

they spoke to the recipient

on video as well.

8

One of the advantages of anywhere working

is its ability to adapt to the individual and

their needs. This flexibility contributes to its

effectiveness and appeal, but there must be

some core technological elements in place

to make today’s vision a long-term reality.

Deploying a solid unified communications

(UC) network, which includes conferencing

solutions, allows organisations to

empower their employees to truly work

anywhere. Video is clearly a front-runner

in helping workers with both productivity

and relationship benefits. And of course,

with digital transformation speeding

up globalisation of the app economy,

applications are now essential to enable

team members, so they can access anyone

anywhere from any device, such as an app to

enable quick access to a video conference

or smart-pairing. Innovations such as smart-

pairing allow people to continue conference

calls when they walk into a room, are also

important to enable workers to experience

the difference with anywhere working.

Collaboration technology should make

wherever you work feel like an extension

of the office. If there is high-definition

video conferencing available in the office

building, or an immersive studio, the

application on the user’s smartphone or

tablet should also feature HD. If content

sharing can be done live through the

office systems, so should their laptop be

able to share instantly and seamlessly.

Polycom is a leader in providing

organisations with collaboration solutions

that enable the workforce to work anywhere,

anytime, as easily and productively as if they

were still in the office building. However,

the technology is only the first step in true

‘human collaboration’. To succeed in actually

adopting a work anywhere culture globally,

we need to ensure workers understand how

to use these tools, not only to improve their

productivity and output, but also to enhance

their job satisfaction and work-life balance.

HOW DO WE ACHIEVE TRANSFORMATION ACROSS NATIONS?

MethodologyThe survey commissioned by Polycom Inc.

was conducted by Morar Consulting. Sample

Data collected from 25,234 consumers of

12 countries, which included: United States,

Canada, Brazil, Japan, Germany, United

Kingdom, India, Singapore, Russia, France,

Australia and China. 55% of those surveyed

had job titles managers or above. 58% of

surveyed are responsible for care in some

capacity, and 68% surveyed are parents.

To learn more about how collaboration can empower your workforce,

please visit www.polycom.com/your-workspace

and find out what will best suit your needs.

© 2017 Polycom, Inc.