Dubai: More than half of UAE employees work outside the office every week, a new study has revealed.

The study by International Workplace Group (IWG), the parent group of leading workspace companies, also found that UAE businesses recognised that offering flexible working strategies to their employees provided them with significant benefits.

More than 18,000 professionals from a range of different industries in 96 countries were surveyed in IWG Flexible Working Survey.

The survey findings showed that every week 60 per cent of the UAE employees are working at least one day a week somewhere other than the office. More than half (52 per cent) work remotely for half of the week or more, whilst one in 10 (10 per cent) people work outside of their company’s main office location five times a week.

Globally, the results reflected a similar trend in the workforce with every week 70 per cent of employees are working at least one day a week somewhere other than the office.

It found that the emergence of this mobile workforce has been driven by technological change, globalisation and changes in employee expectations.

“People from Seattle to Singapore, London to Lagos no longer need to spend so much time in a particular office,” said Mark Dixon, founder and CEO of IWG.

“We are entering the era of the mobile workforce and it is hugely exciting. Not just for individual employees, but for businesses too. This is a huge shift in the workspace landscape globally, and businesses are now looking closely at what this means for their corporate real estate portfolios,” he added.

For generations, the world has understood office-based work to involve a fixed location and a 9 to5 schedule. But an unprecedented number of businesses are now adopting a very different working model, which produces benefits for them and their workers.

The IWG survey found that flexible working not only reduces commuting time, but enhances productivity, staff retention, job satisfaction and even creativity. This is in addition to the financial and strategic advantages that it brings for businesses.

A resounding 86 per cent of UAE businesses said that flexible workspaces enable employees to be more productive while on the move.

Ian Hallett, IWG Group Managing Director and Global Head of Brands and Ventures, said: “New technologies mean many of us can now work anytime, anywhere. The challenge for businesses is how to optimise this new landscape. Companies are realising the benefits of flexible working and its ability to increase productivity, job satisfaction and business performance.”

The survey showed also that flexible working and the use of shared workspaces are no longer the preserve of start-ups. The world’s most successful businesses — including varied companies such as Etihad Airways, Diesel, GSK, Mastercard, Microsoft, Oracle and Uber — are already adopting a flexible workspace approach.

Dixon added: “Changes in technology and digitalisation have led to a growing use of on-demand services generally in business, with organisations of all sizes wanting to increasingly outsource non-core activities.”

“Flexible working, supported by a professional on-demand workspace network, is now being discussed by senior leaders across functions in companies including risk management, business development, human resources, marketing and strategy. One day soon, flexible working could simply be known as ‘working’. We are reaching the tipping point.”