Slaving away in the office from 9 to 5 is no longer the norm when it comes to the average workday.
According to a new survey of over 1,000 Australian businesses from MYOB, almost two out of three SMBs now have employees who telework to some extent, up from 57 per cent in March this year.
Simon Raik-Allen, chief technology officer at MYOB, said teleworking has become an increasingly attractive proposition as business operators become comfortable with using advanced hardware and software.
“They’re more comfortable with how technology transforms the way we work and how we communicate with each other. A greater number of operators are realising the bottom line benefits, and a wider range of cost-effective telework-enabling technologies are entering the marketplace,” Raik-Allen said.
The survey found that most teleworking happens mainly on the road, while 39 per cent of respondents said teleworking happens mainly from home.
Gen Y business operators are the age group most likely to telework, with 69 per cent of sole traders and 72 per cent of start-up businesses adopting the practice.
Over 40 per cent of businesses without teleworkers said that their business wasn’t suited to it as employees need to be onsite at all times, while almost one in ten said it was too disruptive and 8 per cent said they hadn’t assessed and managed the risks associated.
Businesses with teleworkers reported feeling less pressure from issues like cash flow than businesses without, at 30 per cent compared to 34 per cent respectively, while 27 per cent said they felt pressure about price margins and profitability, versus 37 per cent of SMBs without teleworkers.
Raik-Allen said, “Teleworking can play a vital role in business success, providing benefits including increased efficiencies and productivity, reduced overheads and happier employees. It’s about implementing the right technology and learning to make the most of it to maximise you and your team’s effectiveness.”