LONDON, U.K. – Just in time for Work Wise Week, a new survey from Avaya Inc., the leading global provider of business communications software, systems and services, has revealed that absence could be costing Britain’s small- and medium-sized businesses up to £25,000 per annum. According to the survey results, a fifth of UK businesses with 20-80 employees estimate they lose £25,000 or more a year through employee absenteeism; approximately one-third put the figure somewhere between £10-25,000.

 

Yet despite most small business owners (presidents, CEOs, vice presidents, directors and managers) agreeing that productivity suffers when an employee is out of the office unexpectedly, only a fifth have calculated the true cost of unscheduled employee absences caused by such ‘everyday’ hazards as bad weather conditions, commuting delays and illness.

 

According to the survey results, the majority of businesses in this small sub-group of respondents estimated expenses due to unscheduled absences of employees could cost almost twice what their American counterparts cited in a similar Avaya survey last month.  "Unplanned absences cost businesses a lot of money, but they need some education on just how much,” said Nick Roullier, country manager, Avaya, UK.  “Small business owners who deploy flexible communications systems that allow workers to get the work done from any location are far less likely to feel the financial impact because their workers have access to the systems and services they need, whether they work from home or the office.”

 

The results of the survey indicate that more than 80 percent of small business employers would like to allow employees to work from home one day a week. But the issue that concerns small businesses most is ensuring productivity of offsite workers. While just five percent said that technology costs were the reason they had not initiated flexible working, almost three-quarters of respondents admitted they were predominantly concerned with ensuring that out-of-office workers were as productive as in-office workers.

 

Enabling flexibility where employees work would have other benefits, according to the survey:

 

 

“In a small business, when one worker is out, it can impact the entire company,” added Roullier. “By deploying technology such as Unified Communications (UC), which brings the communications environment of the office to any location, on any device, small businesses can leverage more flexible styles of working that blend with an employee's home life. Ultimately, flexible technology can help small firms retain those employees, maximise their productivity and avoid missed business opportunities.”

 

Avaya recently introduced one of the most affordable Unified Communications solutions available, which costs as little as 15 pence per day per employee. Avaya’s highly-affordable, IP Telephony-based solutions allow companies to match a business need with a complete set of unified communications solutions.  In addition, a specially-designed UC for Small Business solution is available, which gives employees a means to work remotely when needed and be instantly accessible while outside the office.

 

“It is a popular misconception that Unified Communications is for big business only. In reality, if you look at a typical busy SMB where employees are performing multiple job functions, UC can deliver concrete business advantages that are even more meaningful to a small business – improved productivity and increased ability to compete with bigger brands,” concluded Roullier.

 

About Avaya
Avaya delivers Intelligent Communications solutions that help companies transform their businesses to achieve marketplace advantage. More than one million businesses worldwide, including more than 90 percent of the FORTUNE 500®, use Avaya solutions for IP telephony, unified communications, contact centers and communications-enabled business processes. Avaya Global Services provide comprehensive service and support for companies, small to large. For more information, visit the Avaya Web site at http://www.avaya.co.uk.

 

Note to editors:
The survey includes responses that represent the finance, insurance, business services, professional services, real estate, and import/export sectors.  Most companies surveyed have from 20 to 80 employees. Full survey results available upon request.

 

According to the results of the same survey carried out in the U.S.A  the majority of businesses in a representative sampling of businesses with 20-80 employees estimated employee absenteeism costs up to  $20,000 annually.

 

Work Wise Week is a not-for-profit initiative, which aims to make the UK one of the most progressive economies in the world by encouraging the widespread adoption of smarter working practices. Work Wise Week 2008 will be launched with National Work from Home Day on Thursday 15th May.