Orange UK is the latest organisation to publish predictions for 2011. In this case it’s asked over two thousand of its small and medium business customers what they’re expecting to do next year.
Three-quarters (74%) of SMEs are considering or already plan to introduce flexible working options in 2011, driven by a need to improve staff efficiency. In addition, 52% plan to spend more on information technology than they did in 2010, with communications equipment at the top of the list. Social media, business applications and mobile WiFi were all listed by SMEs as the tools needed to further their businesses.
Overall, 76% predicted a year that would – at the very least – be no worse than this year… and over a quarter (26%) expected to hire more staff in 2011 than they did in 2010.
Martin Lyne, SME Marketing Director for Everything Everywhere, said “These results provide an interesting snapshot into SMEs’ plans for 2011, and it’s great to see that businesses are positive about next year. What is also encouraging is the overwhelming number of companies that plan to introduce flexible working. It demonstrates a strong desire to drive a more efficient business, and is also a great way to help employees strike the right work/life balance.”
| Next week’s edition of The Fonecast will be offering an exclusive perspective into mobile retailing and mobile recruitment for 2011 with contributions from Faisal Sheikh and Spencer Davies… and the following week we’ll have our own predictions for 2011. To make sure you receive every episode of our free podcasts as soon as they're published online, just simply subscribe to the RSS feed or download us via iTunes. |