Partner Article

Line between work and personal life becoming blurred

A high proportion of UK managers think the ‘9 to 5’ working day is old hat, and believe more flexible working should be introduced.

The results of a survey, commissioned by Vodafone, revealed that 70% of managers thought the traditional working hours were dying out, and nine out of ten of these bosses allow their staff to work flexibly.

63% said they did not mind staff going about personal business such as calling family members or checking social networking accounts, as long as they got the work done.

Technology was shown to be at the centre of this cultural shift, as 62% of respondents suggested smartphones and working from home had caused work and personal life to become blurred.

Peter Kelly, enterprise director at Vodafone UK, commented: “What this research shows is that a cultural shift has started.

“For many people in the UK, the way we work is changing. Britain’s bosses are realising that successful businesses must focus on generating results, not on monitoring what employees do at their desks.”

The trade-off is that nearly two-thirds of managers ask their employees to work outside office hours, at least occasionally.

Here, the survey highlighted a difference between the private sector, where 70% of managers request extra hours from staff, and in the public sector 58% do so.

Mr Kelly continued: “A new generation of workers is coming through the ranks. They prefer fitting work around their lives rather than the other way around.

“People don’t mind doing some work in the evening or at the weekend, but in return, they expect bosses to cut them some slack so they can see to personal chores.”

Seemingly, bosses draw the line at staff doing their weekly shop online, which around two-thirds took exception to.

While 59% of managers said they allow employees to work from home, only 15% provide the tools to do so, such as laptops, broadband connectivity and remote access to company systems.

The research is thought to reflect the impact of Generation Y, those born after 1982, on management positions.

They are generally perceived as being highly connected and technologically savvy, seeking a less rigid working environment.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .