• Home working demanded by two thirds of UK workforce by 2011
• An environmentally friendly working environment classed as imperative by three quarters of UK workforce

Environmental policies and home working are set to drive UK workers out of the office and into the home, according to research  from Affiniti, the communications integrator. The research sought to find the top employee issues in the workplace and the factors that are most likely to change the way businesses operate.

Home Working
A top driver in business change, two thirds of UK workers are demanding home working within the next  5 - 10 years.  37 per cent state that they will only consider roles offering this benefit when applying for a new position,  making it a key consideration for companies wanting to recruit the creme de la creme of the UK workforce.

Employees are also calling for a more effective work/life balance, with 68 per cent citing this as the top reason for home working. However, increased productivity, reduced commuting time and reducing congestion also ranked highly.  Despite this, three quarters of UK businesses are currently missing a trick and have no such policy in place: the 25 per cent that do are bound be experiencing a huge competitive advantage in recruiting the best labour on the market. 

Currently ranked as the biggest benefit in a job, 31 per cent of workers feel working at home ranks high above other benefits such as training in how to maximise technology (just 15 per cent).

Environmental Change
Being green is considered critical by UK workers. Three quarters consider it important and a fifth went as far as to state that the environment will become the top priority for businesses in the future.  Businesses believe that the environment will far surpass other factors in driving business change including: the need to retain good employees (15 per cent), globalisation (11 per cent) and regulatory compliance (9 per cent).

However, a third of companies still don't have any type of environmental policy in place. Of those that claim to, the majority are still only paying lip service to the environment, with 53 per cent of respondents stating that being green is only 'sometimes' seen as a business issue. As an example, whilst three quarters of businesses encourage small-scale energy saving measures (recycling, switching off PCs, etc), 80 per cent of businesses still condone unnecessary business travel.

How to achieve the ultimate workplace of the future
The findings send a clear call to action to both employees and managers to start working more closely as the tug of war between the two continues to affect positive business change. A quarter of top management believes employees are unlikely to affect business change at all, whilst a fifth of employees believe they'll have as much impact as the management in shaping the future of the workplace.

There are clear links between home working, the environment and technology, yet these are not understood by the workforce. Only five per cent of people see mobile technology and videoconferencing as an aid to helping them work at home and avoid polluting air travel.

Gary Young, Managing Director of Affiniti, said: "Collaborative working will undoubtedly drive the workplace of the future, meaning people can be engaged both socially and professionally from home whilst helping to protect the environment. Organisations and employees alike must understand how communications technology such as wireless working, video conferencing and mobile technology will help drive this revolution.''

Organisations are starting to take note of workers' demands for home working and environmental protection and for a third of organisations, setting up a mobile and wireless strategy to enable home working and decrease commuting is a priority.

Affiniti, the communications integrator, specialises in designing, implementing and managing intelligent communications solutions for private and public sector organisations.

Some of its customers include: Experian, Carphone Warehouse, British Airways, Ford, Admiral Insurance, Edinburgh Telford College , Royal Liverpool & Broadgreen Hospital , Cheshire Police, Citigroup, Lloyds TSB.

Affiniti is part of the KCOM Group.

KCOM Group PLC provides a range of integrated IT and communications services to businesses, and internet and telecommunications services to selected consumer markets, within the UK .

The Group's portfolio of businesses works with both leading private enterprise customers and public sector organisations. Through its Affiniti, Smart421 and JAM IP brands, the Group delivers solutions covering unified communications, contact centre solutions, data management, applications integration and managed services.

The KCOM Group also includes a regionally-focused business, Kingston Communications, which supports small to medium-sized businesses. Through its KC and Eclipse brands, the business offers a wide range of internet-based and telecommunications services. The regional business also provides telephony and internet services to targeted consumers through its KC, Eclipse and Karoo brands.

The Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and employs over 2,700 people across the UK .

Richard George
Nelson Bostock Communications
020 792 7440
E: richard.george@nelsonbostock.com

Dianne White
Affiniti
01442 883370
E: dianne.white@affiniti.com