Unify's Latest New Way to Work Index Reveals More Than One Third of Managers and Directors Would Leave Workplace for Flexible Work

RESTON, Va., July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Unify, a leading communications software and services firm, today published Volume 3 of its New Way to Work (NW2W) Index. The findings from the research revealed that more than one third of employees surveyed—including 34 percent of directors and 38 percent of managers—said they would change companies for an employer that embraces flexible work, or what Unify has defined as the "New Way to Work" (NW2W). The findings showed that the highest flight risk is among those in the sought after Gen-Y or "millennials" demographic, with 43 percent of these employees saying they would change employers for a job that offers flexible work.

For Volume 3 of the NW2W Index, Unify surveyed more than 900 global respondents at all levels across the healthcare, financial, education, manufacturing, and public sector markets, with the goal of learning how workers define the NW2W, and how important it is to them. Among the findings, 47 percent of respondents defined the NW2W as working where they want, while 43 percent defined it as working when they want; with better collaboration technology being key to realizing it.

"Recent research* from Dun and Bradstreet says the total cost of replacing an experienced employee can be up to 150 percent of that person's annual salary," said Bill Hurley, chief marketing officer at Unify. "This type of 'flight risk' can be devastating for organizations. If companies want to attract and retain the best talent, they must implement flexible work options. The best enabler of this is collaboration technology that allows employees to work where and how they want, and easily collaborate to solve problems, and achieve results."

Additional findings from the NW2W Index include the following:

• More than one third of employees at all levels said they would actually leave their jobs/change employers to go to a job with more flexibility.
• More than half of all senior managers (director-level and higher) surveyed said their organizations are moving in the direction of more flexible work and expect to be there in the next two years.
• More than one third of respondents said they would drive initiatives to make flexible working terms a reality in their organization.

For organizations looking to build their NW2W strategy, Unify has created a resource hub comprised of data and best practices. For more information and to download the complete Volume 3 of the NW2W Index, visit: www.unify.com/NW2W.

Follow the New Way to Work (#NW2W) conversation on Twitter at #NW2W and on LinkedIn.

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About the Unify NW2W Index
The Unify NW2W Index examines the habits and constructs of successful virtual teams and the anywhere worker. Produced quarterly, findings include research on management and behavioral trending of virtual teams around the globe. The Unify NW2W Index is distributed via email, social media, and website by Unify and its partners at the Ferrazzi Greenlight Research Institute.

About Unify
Unify is one of the world's leading communications software and services firms, providing integrated communications solutions for approximately 75 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Our solutions unify multiple networks, devices and applications into one easy-to-use platform that allows teams to engage in rich and meaningful conversations. The result is a transformation of how the enterprise communicates and collaborates that amplifies collective effort, energizes the business, and enhances business performance. Unify has a strong heritage of product reliability, innovation, open standards and security.

*Source: Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp, "How Much Does It Cost to Hire a New Employee," by Matt Thompson, Feb. 14, 2012

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SOURCE Unify