Smarter Working Britain
 
 
The UK economy is missing out on growth to the tune of £30bn due to a connectivity deficit in Britain’s biggest businesses and public sector organisations, according to a new study released today by O2 and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr). Smarter Working Britain is the UK’s first ever in-depth analysis of the value of connectivity in large organisations to the UK economy.
 
The study examines some of the long-term inefficiencies in British businesses. If tackled now, this could deliver multi-billion pound productivity gains to UK PLC in a period of crucial economic growth.
 
While employment rates are improving, productivity in our businesses has been declining since the onset of the recession. The average output per hour worked is now nearly 5% lower in Q4 2013 compared to pre-2007/8. But despite many organisations endorsing the benefits of smart, connected technology, 80% admit staff still don’t have full access to key business systems such as apps and instant messaging tools, which allow them to work effectively away from the office.
 
The report reveals UK companies and public sector organisations could significantly boost the productivity of their workforce with immediate tangible impact, by using technology to:
 
• Eradicate needless journeys – reducing the annual number of trips to and from the office by 121 per employee by connecting them with the technology that allows them to get work completed at the point of need. This would save each employee up to 127 hours a year.
 
• Make better use of precious time – allowing people to make 178 (9%) of their annual working hours more productive through technology, giving them better access to the information they need wherever they are. If every large organisation increased connectivity, over two million hours would be made more productive each year.
 
• Improve meeting efficiencies – better connectivity during external meetings could save each worker up to 54 hours a year in wasted follow up activities.
 
However, when it comes to embracing new technology, the report suggests that the risk averse culture of Britain’s biggest organisations could be a major barrier to early adoption – one in four cites issues around trust, responsibility and readiness for change as barriers to adoption.
 
A copy of the report can be downloaded here