Flexible and remote working
are becoming increasingly important to IT professionals when
looking for new jobs, two surveys have found.
Of 204 IT professionals surveyed by online recruiter
Theitjobboard.com, 25% have turned down a job offer because the
position did not offer flexible working, and 93% would like the
option to work flexible hours.
However, IT professionals were reticent about asking their
existing employers about working flexible hours. Some 47% thought
their request would be refused, and 10% feared that making such a
request would label them a troublemaker, even though 83% thought IT
roles were suited to flexible working.
The findings were echoed in a survey commissioned by Microsoft,
which found that 73% of IT staff would like flexible working
options, and 52% said working remotely would cut their stress
levels. More than 25% of staff thought that asking for flexible
working would be seen in a bad light by their employers.
The research found that only 16% of businesses had a formal
flexible-working policy, and 36% cited lack of equipment as the
biggest barrier to remote working.
Ray Duggins, managing director of Theitjobboard.com, said, "The
number of IT professionals turning jobs down because of the
flexible working issue is shocking when you think of all the effort
that goes into getting to the stage of a job offer.
"If IT organisations are not listening to what their staff want
and attracting candidates accordingly, IT professionals are showing
that many are willing to go elsewhere."
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>>
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>>
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