The best of both worlds

These professionals are free to work from locations other than their company’s main offices for half a week or more helping them reduce the overall time spent commuting and giving them the freedom to choose work locations closer to home.

Businesses have increasingly been offering flexible working practices to workers as morale and health benefits become common knowledge, but this research confirms that 71 per cent of employees would also work harder, benefiting the company, if they could reduce their commute.

The Regus research asked Vietnamese professionals how they would use the time gained through cutting their commute.  Top activities selected were: spending more time with partner and family (88 per cent) and spending more time exercising and getting fitter (82 per cent)

This research also importantly reveals that if businesses were to extend flexible working practices for their staff, not only would employee health, morale and loyalty improve, but also overall productivity as staff would work more, confirming earlier Regus research revealing that globally 72 per cent of companies had experienced increased productivity directly as a result of flexible working practices.

Filippo Sarti, CEO Regus Asia comments: “Although the number of professionals that are able to choose between different work locations is substantial, there is still some progress to be made to help all workers benefit from more flexible conditions. This is especially true when the win-win benefits of slashing commutes are analysed.

“Importantly, workers reveal that the time saved on commuting would be spent on health and wellbeing activities such as getting fitter at the gym and spending time with family. Confirming previous Regus research linking happier and healthier workers to greater productivity, most of professionals say they would devote at least some of the time saved on gruelling commutes to working more.

So the benefits of flexible working are twofold, on the one hand workers are more relaxed and healthy and on the other they are also more productive benefitting the business too.  ”