Graduates expect flexible working

Remote working

Over half of this year's graduates expect to have access to flexible working in their first job out of university, according to new research.

The study, commissioned by Orange, showed 53 per cent of the 1,000 graduates interviewed expected to either work from an external location or outside traditional office hours, with a huge 69 per cent stating it was "important."

The research also showed almost half of the graduates 45 per cent expected to be able to access both email and work files remotely, showing the importance of technology for the new workforce of 2010.

Max Taylor, director of corporate marketing for Orange, said: "Today's graduates are far more digitally savvy than their counterparts of 10 or even five years ago."

"They expect to be able to work on the move and make use of tools like social media and the internet wherever they are."

However, he thinks this attitude will be positive for businesses in the UK.

"Enabling this type of working for the new generation of employees coming into the workplace can be a real asset to businesses," Taylor added.

"They're already fully conversant with the ins and outs of mobile technology, and should be able to adapt their previous experience to help them out when they start work, for example by doing some quick online research on the way to a meeting or finding a contact in their network who can help them get things done."

Other aspects of a job graduates considered as "important" included learning experiences, happiness, good salaries and great colleagues.

Jennifer Scott

Jennifer Scott is a former freelance journalist and currently political reporter for Sky News. She has a varied writing history, having started her career at Dennis Publishing, working in various roles across its business technology titles, including ITPro. Jennifer has specialised in a number of areas over the years and has produced a wealth of content for ITPro, focusing largely on data storage, networking, cloud computing, and telecommunications.

Most recently Jennifer has turned her skills to the political sphere and broadcast journalism, where she has worked for the BBC as a political reporter, before moving to Sky News.