Businesses need to harness their IT skills and offer a flexible working environment in order to attract and retain key staff, research has shown.
The study, carried out by think tank The Centre of Future Studies on behalf of telecoms giant BT, found that the number of companies offering flexible working is on the increase; three quarters of small and mid sized businesses (SMBs) now claim to offer their employees some form of flexible working.
However, ensuring that the correct technology is in place to ensure access to a ‘virtual office’ environment is absolutely essential to any flexible working policy. This sentiment is echoed by the survey’s respondents, of whom 62% reported a lack of appropriate IT skills and training to properly exploit their existing technology.
The IT Skills for Flexible Working study also discovered that 75% of SMBs don’t provide IT training for remote workers. A further 88% of those in senior positions have not had any training on how to manage their now geographically dispersed teams.
Dr Frank Shaw, foresight director at The Centre for Future Studies commented: “Even though the majority of SMBs have access to the technology required to sustain flexible working, many or failing to exploit the benefits because of a lack of skills.”
“SMBs need to demonstrate their commitment to flexible working by arming their employees with the know-how to use the tools,” Shaw concluded.
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
