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Can Broadband Help You Get a Better Work Life Balance?
 Can
fast internet access help to increase the
amount of time you get to spend with your
family and friends? The answer according to
a new survey is yes…
Eighty two per cent of the UK’s small
business owners with broadband report a
better work-life balance thanks to their
internet connection, according to research
from BT Business.
The research found that a combination of
broadband services and faster connection
speeds have increased mobility, enabled
remote access and encouraged flexible
working amongst UK entrepreneurs.
The report, aimed at understanding what
drives the UK’s 4.27million businesses
employing less than 50 people, looked at a
range of topics including what motivates the
decision makers, what worries them, business
productivity and use of technology.
Broadband is revealed as a key enabler in
flexible working, with more than three
quarters of businesses surveyed (78 per
cent) citing speed and flexibility as the
reason for broadband uptake.
The report also shows that one third of
smaller companies (33 per cent) and almost
half of sole trader businesses (48 per cent)
are starting to create a better work-life
balance, by spending a greater proportion of
their working hours away from the office.
More than 95 per cent of people questioned
had broadband in their home, allowing them
the freedom to work away from the office
with alternative working patterns better
suited to the demands of their lifestyle and
commitments than the traditional 9-5.
The research found that broadband services,
such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP),
are also improving work-life balance.
Forty-eight per cent of small businesses
expect to be using VoIP this time next year,
with one third of 31 to 50 employee
businesses recognising that mobility,
including remote access and flexible
working, is the reason to use internet
calling services.
When buying services for their business,
smaller company owners see reliability as
the most important overall consideration (37
per cent), closely followed by value for
money (35 per cent). Only 12 per cent of
companies questioned saw cost as a primary
decision factor.
Bill Murphy, managing director of BT
Business, said: “Britain’s small businesses
are critical to the health of the UK
economy, and broadband is becoming central
in helping them to thrive without
compromising other aspects of their lives. But if your livelihood and your work-life balance can
be significantly impacted by the technology
you choose, then that technology has to be
designed specifically for business… This
report shows that SMEs understand that when
it comes to buying business services,
reliability and value are paramount.”
Visit our Internet and Technology portal for
more information on how technology can
benefit your business.
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