So what Chancellor of the Exchequer in their right mind wouldn’t jump at the chance of adding an extra £90 billion to the annual UK economy?
Well according to new research, it could be a simple thing to achieve and could all come via flexible working.
A new report from the Centre for Economic and Business Research (Cebr) and IT provider Citrix shows that British businesses could help deliver this staggering amount simply by embracing flexible working policies.
The research found that seven in 10 people who are currently unemployed because they are retired, disabled, a carer or a stay-at-home parent said they would be inclined to start working if they could do so flexibly, such as working from home or clocking in outside of usual office hours.
This workforce reshuffle could add a massive £78.5bn to the economy, adding 4.7% to GDP.
The study also found that 83% of people in “thinking jobs” such as engineers, lawyers and doctors, would use flexible working options if they were available, which could add £11.5bn or 0.7% of GDP to the UK economy through the improved use of employees’ time.
Jacqueline de Rojas, VP at Citrix said, “Over recent years many organisations have become firm advocates of the benefits of flexible working and this study verifies the impact such a culture can bring to the wider UK economy.
“Technology now enables us to work from anywhere, at any time. It is time to move on from judging workers on how long they spend at their desks to evaluating them on the work they actually deliver."
The report also found that flexible working schemes could cut 533m hours a year in commuting time, saving British employees an annual £3.8bn, which rises to £7.1bn when the full commuter value of time is taken into account.
If employers needed any more evidence to show that flexible working is a good thing, this is it.
Helping to boost the British economy is surely a good thing for businesses, individuals and governments alike and therefore deserves looking at properly.
