Employees place such a high premium on workplace flexibility that 33 percent of them say they would seek employment elsewhere if it wasn't offered—57 percent would be less satisfied with their job, and 45 percent would feel less productive.

The latest Mobile Workforce Report, published by iPass Inc., showed some other interesting (though, not surprising) results. Of the 3,100 employees surveyed worldwide, 75 percent of employees work more hours due to workshifting (flexible work schedules that enable employees to work wherever and whenever they want). More than half (55 percent) work at least 10 or more additional hours each week as a result of their more flexible schedules, and 12 percent work 20 or more additional hours.

The report found that 38 percent of employees work before their commute, 25 percent work during their commute, 37 percent work during lunch and 37 percent work at night—each and every day.

Workers reported that workshifting allows them to be more productive and efficient, with 79 percent reporting increased productivity and 78 percent reporting increased efficiency. In fact, 64 percent of mobile workers also reported improved work-life balance and more than half (51 percent) felt more relaxed because of flexible work.

“Even though mobile workers are putting in more hours, we are starting to see the pendulum swing back to the center on disconnecting, with 68 percent of mobile workers disengaging from technology occasionally to spend time with their families,” said Barbara Nelson, chief technology officer at iPass. “It appears that the mobile workforce is getting a better hold on their work-life balance.”

The report also found

• 47 percent of mobile employees work from home daily, 99 percent at least occasionally. 88 percent of mobile workers report working from the road, 84 percent from a coffee shop and 77 percent outside using a city-mesh Wi-Fi at least on an occasional basis.
• 40 percent would like a more flexible work environment—even with 95 percent of employees stating that their employers currently either encourage or tolerate workshifting.
• During vacation, 97 percent of mobile workers stay connected to technology (up from 93 percent in 2010). Nearly all (94 percent) did so at least partly for work.
• On vacation, 69 percent checked into work at least daily, while 93 percent checked in at least weekly. 41 percent checked in multiple times per day.
• 52 percent connected during vacation to make sure they didn’t fall behind on work, weren’t overwhelmed upon return to work or to ensure completion of a work project.

It's no secret that I'm a fan of telecommuting (also known as flexible work arrangements or work shifting). It makes good business sense, it's environmentally friendly and it can be a great motivator. Check out this graphic to learn more about how great it could be if everyone was able to telecommute. 

New findings from a series of business think tanks involving CEOs, senior HR professionals and workplace decision makers from across the U.S., the U.K. and other countries reveal that bosses anticipate 50 percent to 80 percent of employees will  move to time or location flexible work within five years, driven largely by the need to attract and retain superior talent. This is up from a reported 25 percent today.

The findings from the FlexPaths-LinkedIn Virtual Think Tanks offer a point of view rarely communicated in an industry dominated largely by human resource professionals—that of the C-level executive. Through the peer knowledge exchange that unfolded, the participants, across industries and from around the globe, were able to share challenges and glean insights and best practices in a collaborative environment. At the same time, they acknowledged that their organizations have a long way to go to overcome the cultural barriers around flexible workforce practices.

"It's fascinating that the corporate world can see flexible working to become the standard in the near future, but is currently still struggling to overcome cultural obstacles and therefore to benefit from the ROI that has been proven in all the research," said Clare Flynn Levy, managing director of FlexPath. "The key to getting from A to B is to treat every worker as a flexible worker—to make flexible work a strategic business imperative."

Today's economy is a talent economy, says Kevin Eyres, EMEA managing director for LinkedIn. 

"Companies will rise and fall on based their ability to attract and retain the best talent," Eyres said. "Combined with that is the increase in Generation Y workers entering the workforce who expect a flexible working life as standard. Organizations failing to adapt will lose out in the battle for the best people."

Ultimately, all of the think tank groups came to the conclusion that there is a need to develop manager capability in managing flexible workers, along with a need for infrastructure and systems to support this new normal—including infrastructure to confidently measure performance in a virtual and oftentimes asynchronous environment.

The following are findings from the report.

The Harvard Business Review has a new blog entry called Winning Support for Flexible Work. Why, nearing the end of 2010, are most of us still on 9-to-5 desk duty? They say it's because few companies have an official policy or program in place, and even fewer managers are open to or equipped to handle employees with alternative schedules. 

Bosses who trust employees worry about the appearance of favoritism or allowing a slide in productivity, but focusing on the upsides and framing your request correctly can help your chances of achieving an alternative work arrangement. In addition to several case studies, they offer the following tips.

Define what you want. Is your goal to spend more time with family? Or do you want to remove distractions in order to be able to focus on bigger, more long-term projects? Decide what arrangement will best help you achieve your goal - a compressed work week, a job share, reduced hours, working from home, taking a month-long sabbatical - and consider whether you could still do your job effectively. Be sure to understand the impact your wished-for schedule will have on your boss, your team and your performance.

Design it as an experiment. Allay management fears by positioning your proposal as an experiment. Gradually introduce flexibility, and provide an out for you and your boss. Explain that if it doesn't work, you are willing to try a different arrangement or go back to the way things were. 

Ask for team input and support. Explain what you are trying to achieve and ask for their input. Be sure to let your boss know that your proposal includes colleague suggestions. Some bosses worry that if they grant one person flexibility, the floodgates will open and everyone will want the same arrangement. This is often an unfounded fear because many prefer a traditional schedule.

Highlight the benefits to the organization. Demonstrate that you have considered the company's needs, that your new schedule will not be disruptive and that it will actually have positive benefits, such as improving your productivity or increasing your relevant knowledge.

Reassess and make adjustments. Once your experiment has been in place three or four months, evaluate its success. Are you reaching your goals? Is the schedule causing problems for anyone? Because you've designed the arrangement as a trial, you will want to report back to your boss. 

It seems the U.K. is ahead of the flextime curve. More than half of U.K. employers (55 percent) welcome legislation that requires companies to offer flexible working, 70 percent expect an increase in requests and nearly 40 percent are bracing themselves for a resulting impact on their budgets.

A survey by recruiting firm Hays, employers offer flexible working primarily as way of supporting their employees, though 46 percent of workers say their current employers don't encourage flexible working, rising to over half in the private sector. And some of the options most sought after by employees are the ones they believe are unavailable.

An overwhelming 85 percent of staff say that if their employers were to introduce more flexible working options, such as working from home or job shares, they would be more likely to stay. Not surprisingly, 95 percent of staff says flexible working improves work-life balance and more than 20 percent see these policies as an "essential" when choosing a job.

Workers report that the main reason they have use flex work is to gain more personal time (35 percent) and to cope with care arrangements for children or elderly relatives (29 percent)—a trend set to increase with future demographic changes. More than half of employees say the practice of working from home increases their productivity levels.