Changing Work Environment’s Open Doors to Innovative Office Desk Schemes
London, UK (PRWEB UK) 16 December 2013 -- Since 2008 there has been a significant rise in the number of people registering as self-employed, but statistics show a severe drop in income for those who earned above £2,000 but less than £100,000, a loss of 31% over the past 12 years. Compared to those in full time employment, self-employed workers have increasingly become a low wage occupation. The total amount of self -employed workers' income as a proportion of GDP, has also tumbled from almost 11% to nearer 8.5% of GDP, despite a rise in the number of people in the sector.
According to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) total direct cost of absence across the economy has been pushed down to £14bn a year, but businesses need bigger investments in full time employees for their economic growth during this recession. There are signs that allowing people to work from home may be a viable solution, and the numbers of WFH are increasing in the UK. The survey conducted by Stationery Planet included more than 1,000 UK employees and found that the one thing most desired among 59% of corporate employees is an enjoyment of the job role, with 13% opting for prospective financial incentives and 49% requiring a good basic salary.
Employees rated other emotional factors, with 42%wanting to get on with colleagues, 22% desiring good treatment by their managers and 22% wanting more control over work environment options. This suggests that options such as WFH can be a far more cost-effective motivator in the long term, including allowing people to have autonomy in a role, the opportunity to be innovative and improve office environments.
Employers who encourage their staff to work from home find they are able to reduce their overheads, cut down on travel expenses for employees, and have more success recruiting new people even while offering a lower pay package, especially for those with families, who typically enjoy more flexibility and a better work/life balance.
This leads to new challenges at the office space with an accumulation of spare desks, now unused, adding a financial burden during the time they are not needed. An innovative alternative that is gaining popularity in the UK is the “rent a desk scheme” which allows unused desks to be rented out to start-up companies or self-employed individuals throughout the week, bringing in extra income, boosting morale at the office space, and giving a unique opportunity to share knowledge between professionals that would otherwise never interact.
The division of costs will also allow for better quality of stationery supplies, office kitchen equipment and other staples needed for a productive office environment. See if this plan will work for you and before opening up your office doors, take stock of what you are offering and ensure good quality equipment and supplies.
About Stationery Planet
Stationery Planet (http://www.stationeryplanet.com) is a leading UK based retailer of office supplies, providing over 20,000 office supplies and stationery items at the lowest guaranteed price. The online office supplies retailer offers hundreds of well known brands at low prices with next day delivery as standard. Visit http://www.stationeryplanet.com for more information.
Planet Associates, Planet Ventures, http://www.planetventures.co.uk, +44 7909944586, [email protected]
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