Virtual Office Resource

A survey by WiredScore has shown that Internet connectivity is one of the most important factors for employees when choosing office space.

Seventy-eight percent of the 450 office workers WiredScore surveyed might be willing to work in a dark, out-of-the-way, windowless office as long as they had a reliable Internet connection. A reliable Internet connection was the most important factor for choosing offices, beating out transportation, location, and even views in WiredScore’s first annual “State of Office Connectivity” report.

Furthermore, respondents prefer a fast Internet connection: 97 percent of office workers and location decision makers said they want a connection that was both speedy and reliable.

The desire for fast, reliable connectivity seems to reflect the fact that Internet connectivity is necessary for getting work done. Email is a standard tool and many companies are switching to VoIP. Software applications are also moving to the cloud. All of these applications depend on reliable Internet to function.

When Internet connections break down, 61 percent of employees admit to wasting time, probably because network interruptions mean that they can’t actually work. Given that those surveyed reported outages happened at least one to two times a month or twice a week in the worst cases, this amounts to a lot of wasted productivity each year.

As important as connectivity is, fewer than half of decision makers received this information before signing a lease. They wouldn’t accept the electricity or water going out twice a week. Internet connectivity is just as vital to modern business.

The survey is intended to show managers how important Internet connectivity is to the productivity of their employees.

“There is a major lack of information and transparency in this space, and WiredScore is proud to bridge the gap, resulting in better information and ultimately improved Internet connectivity in offices,” Arie Barendrecht, CEO and co-founder of WiredScore, said.