International Workplace Group is asking professionals to share insights and help paint a global picture of flexible working in the 2020s

IWG – the world’s leading provider of flexible office space – is asking business-leaders all over the world to take part in its annual survey in a bid to capture trends in flexible working.

As well as having their voices represented in a study on how the world of work is changing, participants who take a few minutes to complete the IWG Global Workspace Survey 2020 are also entered into a prize draw to win a GoPro camera.

The focus of this year’s survey is to discover how business-leaders think the world of work will change in the coming decade, and to identify key business issues and workplace trends based on the opinions they share. The study is designed to discover employee expectations for 2020 in terms of flexible working, and to forecast the most prominent flexible workspace trends for 2020.

IWG has published its annual Global Workspace Survey for the past 12 years. One of the largest surveys of its kind in the world, the research asks more than 15,000 business-leaders from more than 100 countries for their opinions about flexible working.

The study gathers their insights on the key drivers for choosing this kind of set-up, how it’s being used by international businesses, the benefits of flexible working and their perceived obstacles to flexible working.

Last year’s edition identified some eye-opening trends, particularly in how flexible working is placing more control in the hands of employees. The results of the survey showed a definite power-shift towards employees, who now have more say than ever before over how and where they work.

The 2019 survey also found that businesses who recognise the importance of offering greater flexibility to their staff were experiencing positive results. These respondents reported greater talent retention, greater agility and boosted employee productivity compared to those organisations that did not have a flexible working culture. For example, 85% of respondents confirmed that productivity had increased in their company thanks to increased flexibility in employee working patterns, and 65% said they believed businesses that tailor the work environment to the ways staff prefer to work are more productive.

The findings strongly suggested that flexible working is no longer a perk but an essential part of success for modern businesses. More than four out of five respondents themselves confirmed that, when faced with two similar employment offers, they would turn down the one that didn’t offer flexible working. And 65% of businesses said that flexible working helped them reduce capital and operating expenditure, manage risk and consolidate their portfolio.

Take a few minutes to fill in our Global Workspace Survey and voice your opinion on how the world of work is changing