93pc of organisations to implement workshifting by 2013 – survey

12 Apr 2012

Most organisations will have implemented workshifting policies by the end of 2013, The Citrix Global Workshifting Index suggests.

Ninety-three per cent of organisations will have policies in place regarding workshifting by the end of next year, which is an increase from 37pc of organisations which now offer workshifting for part, or all, of their workforces, the survey of senior IT decision makers reveals.

Workshifting is a type of mobile workstyle in which work is moved to more optimal times, locations and resources. For employees, this means moving work to a place where they can be their most productive. For organisations, it means reducing business and IT costs while providing flexibility to allow staff to work anywhere, anytime and on any device. 

“We’ve long believed that workshifting is a key part of a solid business and IT strategy and these survey findings are an indicator that this trend is going mainstream,” said Mick Hollison, vice-president, Integrated Marketing & Strategy, for Citrix.

“Organisations around the globe are moving from traditional work environments and realising real-estate, travel and labour cost savings by enabling mobile workstyles.”

Why workshifting?

When it comes to exactly why organisations are implementing workshifting policies, 71pc of respondents indicated they are using them to enable workers to work from anywhere and 63pc are using the policies to enable staff to work from home when required.

Fifty-one per cent of respondents indicated they have implemented workshifting policies to help attract and retain top talent. Nearly half of respondents also indicated that workshifting enables organisations to tap into a broader labour pool by facilitating collaboration with and among outsourcing partners, contractors, business partners, temporary workers and consultants.

Forty-five per cent of respondents cited cost savings as being among the main drivers for workshifting with the reduction of HR-related costs, 39pc said improved ability to recruit workers in lower-cost regions, 30pc cited reduction of real estate costs, and 26pc said contribution to environmental sustainability.

Another benefit workshifting provides organisations is staffs’ uninterrupted access to desktops and apps during business disruptions of any kind. Ninety-four per cent of senior IT decision makers agreed that the need for comprehensive business continuity is very important, with 93pc of those surveyed agreeing that desktop virtualisation was a very effective foundation for business continuity.

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Tina Costanza
By Tina Costanza

Tina Costanza was a journalist and sub-editor at Silicon Republic. She came to Ireland from Canada, where she had held senior editorial positions at daily newspapers in Ottawa and Toronto. When she wasn’t saving dangling participles, she was training for 10K races or satisfying a craving for scones.

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