Office suppliers company Officeworks polled 1,000 employees and found 49 per cent can work remotely, with 44 per cent of those being granted flexible privileges believing they are less stressed, while 42 per cent feel more productive and 40 per cent said they are generally happier.
However, the research also revealed that only 53 per cent of small companies offer workers the chance to have flexible arrangements, despite the potential benefits. Although 83 per cent of small business owners would like to be able to work remotely themselves at least once a month.
"Offering employees the opportunity to shape how they work provides significant psychological benefits and autonomy," explained psychologist Dr Suzy Green of the Positivity Institute.
"As well as overall wellbeing, other aspects like job satisfaction, staff retention and cost savings can also be attributed to this way of working, all of which should be hugely important to small business owners."
Mitrefinch offers rostering technology that can help managers organise their workforce more efficiently and manage flexible working patterns.
