NEWS
Other Articles
It's Time To Set Free Those Not So Pesky 'Office Moths'
officebroker.com has been talking to businesses across Britain to find out if office moths, those employees who regularly work late into the night, are on the rise.
Founded by entrepreneurs Jim Venables and Andy Haywood in 2001, officebroker.com is the UK's leading online office broker and a multi-million pound enterprise.
The company is in a unique position, in that it has access to thousands of office workers and businesses across the country, and recently asked some of these companies whether long hours and regular late night unpaid overtime shifts were still a regular occurrence, and if they had seen a rise in the number of people willing to stay late to keep up with their workload or cover for other staff.
The general consensus was 'yes', in fact, many business centres throughout the UK are now beginning to operate 24/7 to cater for the growing demand of 'office moths', as the traditional nine to five is fast becoming a thing of the past.
So, what is driving this trend?
Cited reasons included, the rise of the 'I want it now' culture which thrives in Britain's increasingly busy society often if a customer's goods and services aren't immediately available at the touch of a button, they will go elsewhere, so businesses will extend opening hours to fulfil this need.
Perhaps this is also a knock-on effect of the customer having to work longer hours themselves.
There is also a rise in overseas trade, and with the differing time zones between far flung places, such as the USA and Asia, employees are often working later shifts to meet demand.
Other reasons included an increasing number of people working late to 'impress the boss' - making sure they arrive before and leave after their superiors, heavier workloads and a rise in skilled professionals in business driving competition for jobs.
Ian Frostwick, operations director of Evans Easyspace, which currently has 48 business centres open across the UK, looking after over 1,200 businesses, said: "Based on our
experience, it is true to say that working late is still very much on the rise in British business today, and to cater for this growing demand we allow 24/7 access to all Evans Business Centres.
"The Evans Easyspace concept is based on flexibility, and it is important that our clients can access their workspace anytime they need to, and for any length of time. While we don't wholly advocate the office moth, the reality is that this breed is certainly not in decline."
Commenting on these findings, Jim Venables, managing director of officebroker.com, said: "While there will always be times when each of us can expect to have to work late, say in a business crisis or start-up situation, for example. I believe that when people are working late on a regular basis, not only is there something wrong, but also this is bad for business.
"People's productivity levels fall when they are tired, overworked or unhappy with their employment situation. Individuals will also be more likely to look outside the company for a new role, causing recruitment and retention problems.
"If a person cannot do the job expected of them in the hours for which they are regularly employed, then they are either not up to the job or their job description and the expectations of them are wrong."
Jim believes this can be bad news for business, and says an excess of 'office moths' in the building is something which should ring alarm bells with every business leader.
Concluding, Jim said, "Enlightened companies who recognise this to be a problem and set about reducing the number of hours worked over and above a normal working day are not only seeing happier employees, they are also seeing higher productivity levels and a serious reduction in their corporate carbon footprint"
Articles
Business News
Press Coverage
- 2010
16/03/2010
Launch of Soho Business Centre Boosts London Office Portfolio
16/03/2010
08/03/2010
25/02/2010
11/02/2010
Leading office provider launches prime serviced office space in Paddington
25/01/2010
15/01/2010
08/01/2010
The big freeze: UK businesses stay connected thanks to broadband
- 2009
16/12/2009
History comes full circle at former lace factory in Nottingham
27/11/2009
20/11/2009
officebroker.com's Chris Meredith promoted to UK Head of Sales
02/11/2009
20/10/2009
18/09/2009
10/09/2009
Former Victorian piano factory tunes in with classic meeting room solution
03/09/2009
26/08/2009
21/08/2009
12/08/2009
10/08/2009
07/08/2009
16/07/2009
09/07/2009
03/07/2009
29/06/2009
26/06/2009
officebroker.com presents: Top 5 Tips to Keep Your Small Business Booming
17/06/2009
05/06/2009
26/05/2009
22/05/2009
20/05/2009
23/02/2009
- 2008
05/09/2008
25/08/2008
08/07/2008
24/06/2008
06/05/2008
21/04/2008
11/02/2008
21/01/2008
Adopting a Pets at Work Policy: Animal Magic or Legal Lions' Den?
- 2007
13/12/2007
Dont Make a Turkey of Yourself! An officebroker.com Guide to Surviving the Office Christmas Party
16/11/2007
05/11/2007
23/10/2007
22/08/2007
Go Green in the Office: officebroker.com Launches a Campaign for more Sustainable Workspace
11/08/2007
The Rise of the Office Moth: working late into the night is bad for business
25/07/2007
15/05/2007
09/05/2007
28/02/2007
31/01/2007
- 2006
01/12/2006
01/12/2006
Remember, Remember: what not to forget when choosing an office
24/11/2006
09/11/2006
01/11/2006
01/11/2006
- 2010
15/03/2010
02/03/2010
Expansion Results in Global Recruitment Drive for officebroker.com
26/02/2010
12/02/2010
- 2009
17/12/2009
30/11/2009
officebroker.com attends Orega's serviced office launch at Colmore Plaza
23/09/2009
29/07/2009
US officebroker.com team help local footballers score new kit
21/07/2009
06/02/2009
- 2008
16/10/2008
24/04/2008
Expansion Plans revealed as officebroker.com appoints Non Executive Director
01/04/2008
26/02/2008
Birmingham Takes Pride of Place as the UK's Number One Commercial Property Hotspot
25/01/2008
officebroker.com Forms Strategic Partnership With Thames Valley Chamber Of Commerce Group
- 2007
01/12/2007
04/07/2007
02/07/2007
Following the Floods: officebroker.com helps businesses bounce back
13/06/2007
officebroker.com triumphs in British Small Business Champion Awards
04/06/2007
22/05/2007
28/03/2007
19/02/2007
08/02/2007
- 2006
11/12/2006
- 2009
29/06/2009
- 2008
14/11/2008
24/10/2008
17/10/2008
01/10/2008
01/10/2008
17/09/2008
17/09/2008
17/09/2008
17/09/2008
04/09/2008
04/09/2008
04/09/2008
03/09/2008
Office Workers' Stress a Threat to Productivity, Says Report
03/09/2008
02/09/2008
02/09/2008
02/09/2008
01/09/2008
13/08/2008
01/08/2008
01/08/2008
01/08/2008
01/08/2008
26/07/2008
21/07/2008
17/07/2008
16/07/2008
14/07/2008
11/07/2008
10/07/2008
10/07/2008
Seriously, have a laugh to improve productivity Humour can have a profound effect on productivity
09/07/2008
09/07/2008
09/07/2008
09/07/2008
Liverpool and Birmingham Lead Regional Serviced Office Growth
08/07/2008
03/07/2008
02/07/2008
01/07/2008
01/07/2008
30/06/2008
28/06/2008
26/06/2008
25/06/2008
01/06/2008
01/06/2008
21/05/2008
21/05/2008
officeBroker.com Speaks On How Many Businesses Are Using Feng Shui
21/05/2008
21/05/2008
16/05/2008
25/04/2008
24/04/2008
18/04/2008
17/04/2008
17/04/2008
10/04/2008
10/04/2008
10/04/2008
10/04/2008
10/04/2008
08/04/2008
08/04/2008
08/04/2008
04/04/2008
03/04/2008
01/04/2008
01/04/2008
14/03/2008
14/03/2008
28/02/2008
21/02/2008
21/02/2008
21/02/2008
13/02/2008
- 2007
18/12/2007
09/12/2007
Enjoy The Party, Just So Long As You Don't, Well, Um, Enjoy Yourself
16/11/2007
16/11/2007
06/10/2007
12/09/2007
It Is Easy To Turn Your Office Into An Environmentally Friendly Workspace
12/09/2007
07/09/2007
04/09/2007
01/09/2007
01/09/2007
Going Green In The Office, officebroker.com Launches Campaign For Sustainable Workplaces
01/09/2007
01/09/2007
01/09/2007
31/08/2007
22/08/2007
22/08/2007
21/08/2007
13/08/2007
01/08/2007
26/07/2007
25/07/2007
25/07/2007
25/07/2007
24/07/2007
24/07/2007
16/07/2007
Following The Floods; officebroker.com Helps Businesses To Bounce Back
12/07/2007
12/07/2007
12/07/2007
05/07/2007
Following The Floods - officebroker.com Helps Business To Bounce Back
01/07/2007
20/06/2007
12/06/2007
12/06/2007
16/04/2007
16/04/2007
12/04/2007
12/04/2007
05/04/2007
01/04/2007
31/03/2007
29/03/2007
28/03/2007
23/03/2007
14/03/2007
12/03/2007
12/03/2007
02/03/2007
01/03/2007
01/03/2007
27/02/2007
20/02/2007
19/02/2007
15/02/2007
11/02/2007
09/02/2007
06/02/2007
You must be logged in to comment:
Free Account Registration
Create your officebroker.com account by filling in this short form. It will enable you to comment on all articles and blogs on the officebroker.com site immediately! If you have any problems creating an account, please contact us for assistance.