Fitting Britain with a universal broadband service could
allow most people to live closer to their work and save the country
at least £17bn a year from lower transport costs and
salaries.
These are the conclusions of mobile network operator Orange
based on
YouGov research and insights from futurologist
James Bellini into the
impact of universal connectivity on living and working in the
UK.
According to YouGov, 87% of workers would choose to work away
from the office some or all of the time, and 31% would be willing
to spend up to an hour travelling to work if it meant they could
choose where to live.
The report showed that 49% of office workers have moved to their
current location because of a job. Just 4% live close to family and
friends, but 26% would if they could.
The researchers said 16% of the 3,281 UK office workers who
responded to an e-mailed survey would be willing to take an average
salary cut of £6,900, and 42% would give up their company cars if
they could live and work in their ideal location.
In addition, 27% would give up their status and 25% would give
up promotion to balance their work/life situation.
The report showed that wiring the country would lead to a
massive exodus from the Midlands to the South West, London and
Scotland.
"Although 40% of office workers are happy in their current work
location, according to the study, 39% would rather live and work by
the seaside, the countryside or the mountains," researchers
said.
"Connectivity is the vital resource of our future economy and
businesses that ignore its power risk commercial marginalisation,"
said James Bellini.
"E-workers will be more productive, better motivated and
happier. The businesses they work for will be more adaptable, more
responsive to changing market conditions and more profitable," he
said.
How Orange calculated the saving
A working population of 29 million people of which 16% would be
willing to take a £6,900 a year paycut (£32bn) plus 1.3 million
workers of which 42% would be willing to forgo the paid company car
(£1.64bn) less the cost of the technology, £55/m from Orange for
laptop, mobile phone and wireless broadband (£16.65bn) leaving a
total saving of £17bn.