61% office goers want commuting time counted as office hours: Survey

The survey suggested that businesses that do not have a flexible workspace policy risk losing out on top talent.

Business Standard : A majority of office-goers in India want commuting time to be included in their working hours, according to IWG Global Workspace survey.

Over 80 per cent of the companies in India are introducing flexible working to help attract and retain employees, it said.

IWG, one of the world's leading flexible workspace provider, Wednesday released a study based on insights of over 15,000 professionals from different industries in more than 80 countries.

The survey was independently managed by MindMetre Research and the sample is highly representative of senior managers and owners in businesses across the globe, spanning a variety of industries.

"61 per cent office-goers from India believe that official working hours should include time spent on their journey to and from work. Also, 41% said commuting to/ from work is the part of the working day which they like the least," IWG said in a statement.

Globally, nearly half (42 per cent) of the professionals think that official working hours should include time spent on their journey, as it does not constitute free time in their day.

"Last year our Global Workspace Survey talked about reaching a tipping point, but what we are seeing now is that flexible working is considered by many to be the new norm for any business that is serious about productivity, agility and winning the war for top talent," IWG CEO and Founder Mark Dixon said.

"Indeed, half of all our respondents claim to work outside their main office location for at least half of the week," he said.

The survey suggested that businesses that do not have a flexible workspace policy risk losing out on top talent.

Around 71 per cent of businesses globally and 81 per cent in India think that offering flexible working enables them to expand their talent pool, the survey showed.

In fact, many (77 per cent globally and 81 per cent in India) businesses are adapting to improve talent retention by introducing flexible working.

From an employee's point of view, one third of people globally said flexible working is so important, they would prioritise it over having a more prestigious role (32 per cent globally and 49 per cent in India).

"Perhaps this is due to an increasing focus on work/life balance:flexible working is seen to improve this balance by 78 per cent globally and 86 per cent in India," the statement said.