More than half the UK’s office workers are not able to work remotely, according to a survey by Virgin Media Business. It said security concerns are stopping businesses giving staff these freedoms.

Virgin questioned 500 CIOs and business leaders and found that 52% of office workers are unable to work from home or on the move. This is despite 7 in 10 organisations believing employees would be happier at work and more productive if they could work remotely. Of those surveyed, 40% said they regularly heard employees complaining about being ‘tied to their desks’.

More than 1 in 3 CIOs and business leaders said working flexibly would lead to closer collaboration, while 50% believed it would actually improve work attendance.

The technology CIOs said they would most like to see in the workplace is wireless access to files over a 3G connection, closely followed by the integration of voice and data over a single network. Wireless Local Areas Network access and instant messaging came in next on the wish list.

Duncan Higgins, director of product and marketing at Virgin Media Business, said: “People are happier and more productive when they’re given the tools they need to do their job, wherever they happen to be. In the past, employers have imposed monochrome, inflexible rules which haven’t allowed staff to work in a way that lets them flourish. CIOs now clearly see there’s an opportunity to encourage a new connected collaboration culture which capitalises on people’s preferences.”

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