New Survey Reveals Overwhelming Demand for Virtual Collaboration

March 21, 2012 - PRLog -- San Jose, Calif., March 21, 2012 – Virtual collaboration is clearly a top priority among both small businesses and Fortune 500 companies, according to the results of a new online survey released today by leading social project management platform provider Wrike.

With some 83 percent of respondents already spending at least a few hours each week working outside the office, two-thirds say they expect their offices to go fully virtual within the next few years, a result that highlights the prominent role virtual work is expected to play in the future of business.

In spite of certain challenges virtual collaboration can impose without the right tools in place, 89 percent of respondents rated the opportunity to work remotely as an important fringe benefit in a job, pointing to the potential vital role this capability could play in both recruiting and retention. Across the board, the results underscore the growing demand for virtual work capabilities—either while on the road or working from home—among both small and large enterprises. Other key findings from the study include:

•   More than 43 percent said they now work remotely more than they did just two or three years ago, indicating just how much the scope of virtual collaboration has increased in the past few years. The growth has been the most significant among executives: one-half of these respondents said they spend more time working outside the office.
•   One in four said they believe their company will fully shift to virtual collaboration in a year or two.
•   Time savings, increased productivity and the opportunity to focus on work rather than becoming distracted by office politics emerged as the top three benefits workers appreciate in remote collaboration.
•   Thirty-seven percent said a lack of direct communication is the biggest obstacle to efficient remote collaboration, while other challenges include hindered data accessibility (21 percent) and poor visibility into colleagues’ activities (19 percent).

In spite of these challenges, workers confess they would be willing to forgo certain other job perks for the opportunity to work remotely. According to the survey, nearly 80 percent would sacrifice employer-provided free meals and 54 percent would give up their employer-paid cellphone plans. Perhaps even more astounding, 31 would accept a reduction in paid vacation, and one-fourth would even accept a salary reduction.

Amid the overwhelming demand for a virtual working arrangement, the vast majority of surveyed workers (87 percent) cite smart collaboration software as a vital, mission-critical factor in the success of virtual teams.

“Many organizations are dealing with the ‘human cloud’ paradigm—this idea of employees spread across several cities, countries and cultures. Our survey shows there might actually be many more distributed teams than one might think,” said Andrew Filev, Wrike CEO. “Technology can make virtual teams just as efficient as if they were collaborating in the same office. With so many companies now dealing with the promise of remote collaboration, Wrike’s remote project management features are specifically designed to ensure everyone stays on the same page, no matter where they’re physically located.”

Conducted in December, the online survey gathered input from 1,074 respondents representing organizations of all sizes about their current and expected future work practices and the role virtual collaboration among remote teams plays in their work habits.

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About Wrike
Wrike is the leading on-demand, online project management and collaboration solution. It provides teams with a unique platform for collaborating on multiple projects in one workspace in real time. Collaboration features of Wrike give a significant productivity gain to thousands of companies all over the globe, including eBay, Kraft Foods and Ecco. Wrike’s Intelligent Email Engine is patented. Wrike, Inc. is a privately held corporation located in California.