Biz centres most productive for out-of-office work; cafes least productive
View(s):Despite being popular, cafes and hotel lounges are some of the least productive places to work out of the office, whereas business centres are the most productive, according to a recent study by Brussels-based workplaces provider Regus that gathered responses from 22,000 survey participants.
Further, the company’s findings stated the following: “When respondents were asked to identify the work location where they are most productive when out of the main office 53 per cent selected a Business Centre. Business centres are particularly popular among respondents in India (73 per cent) and China (69 per cent). 63 per cent of those surveyed selected a professional workspace within their home, but only a handful are able to make the investment necessary to set up a professionally-equipped work environment in the home. When this is not possible only 34 per cent select ‘the home’ for flexible working. Collaborative workspaces were also preferred by the respondents with 34 per cent choosing them as the work location where they are most productive, when outside the office”.
Regus also commented that a “ key point that was highlighted in the survey was that currently the more popular locations for remote working – such as cafes and hotel lounges – were identified as some of the least productive work locations across the globe. Such locations are known to be noisy and distracting while concerns have been raised about the lack of privacy and support infrastructure required to do work or conduct meetings efficiently”.
Additionally, the company also noted a trend to move work and people out of the main office, stating that it has been “steadily increasing over the past few years with 70 per cent of respondents reporting that they are seeing more remote workers compared to five years ago. In countries like Mexico and the USA, 82 per cent and 80 per cent of respondents respectively reported seeing more remote workers than the five previous years. Remote (70 per cent), self-employed (66 per cent), freelance (62 per cent) and part-time (52 per cent) workers have all shown significant growth during the past five years”. (JH)