Rising rail fares may force one in five commuters out of the capital, but 79 percent of those would stay in their current jobs if they could work from home once a week.

With rail costs set to rise above the rate of inflation for the 11th consecutive year in January, more than one in five commuters (22 percent) will consider seeking employment outside London to avoid these price hikes. However, 79 percent would be happy to continue commuting and working in London if their current employer allowed them to work from home once or twice a week. These were the main findings of a new OnePoll survey of more than 500 rail commuters undertaken on behalf of Citrix: 45 percent would like their company to offer flexible working; 58 percent would be more productive if they didn’t have a lengthy commute; 62 percent felt that flexible working would improve their quality of life.

“The pressures of commuting on families, work-life balance and productivity are well-documented, but this snapshot of commuters’ attitudes highlights the potential risk businesses are facing as London workers consider a move out of the capital to avoid their daily commutes,” says Andrew Millard, senior director marketing, EMEA, Citrix. “Any significant reduction in this considerable skills base could have a damaging effect on business growth. Equally, companies that are slow to offer flexible working may find themselves at the shallow end of the talent pool.

“As the results show, working from home just one day per week would make a big difference by improving employee satisfaction, productivity and work-life balance. To prevent any loss of talent, more businesses need to take practical steps to offer flexible working to their staff. Online meetings, collaboration software and exciting new workplace apps mean that staff can still collaborate with colleagues and get work done from wherever they are. With this in mind, collaboration and flexibility has never been so important.”