Bosses 'holding back' remote working
- Published: 01/08/2007
UK managers, struggling to cope with the notion of remote and flexible working, are holding back the implementation of 21st Century working practices in Britain, a new report claims.
A study from City & Guilds and the Institute of Leadership and Management states that the growing numbers of remote workers in the UK are causing havoc for the bosses who supervise them.
Close to 75 per cent of managers say that flexible working is commonplace in their organisation, while a further 37 per cent state that they look after teams that either work entirely or predominately away from the office.
But only 25 per cent said that they had received training on how best to supervise remote working teams - and 44 per cent claimed that they were unprepared to manage workforces employed in this manner.
"Our research shows that bosses are highly sympathetic to the notion of flexible working but in practice find it difficult to break the mind set of presenteeism," Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds, commented.
"The UK's professional culture is still built on long hours - if you're visible, you're accountable. In reality, this means we reward people who take a long time to get the job done, rather than those who do it most effectively."
Despite these findings, 75 per cent of those surveyed said that they thought remote workers were more productive, while 90 per cent said that they trusted people working from outside the office.
A study from City & Guilds and the Institute of Leadership and Management states that the growing numbers of remote workers in the UK are causing havoc for the bosses who supervise them.
Close to 75 per cent of managers say that flexible working is commonplace in their organisation, while a further 37 per cent state that they look after teams that either work entirely or predominately away from the office.
But only 25 per cent said that they had received training on how best to supervise remote working teams - and 44 per cent claimed that they were unprepared to manage workforces employed in this manner.
"Our research shows that bosses are highly sympathetic to the notion of flexible working but in practice find it difficult to break the mind set of presenteeism," Chris Humphries, director general of City & Guilds, commented.
"The UK's professional culture is still built on long hours - if you're visible, you're accountable. In reality, this means we reward people who take a long time to get the job done, rather than those who do it most effectively."
Despite these findings, 75 per cent of those surveyed said that they thought remote workers were more productive, while 90 per cent said that they trusted people working from outside the office.