The importance of job location

Jo Faragher

Technology has made it so easy to work from any location now that candidates are clearly becoming choosier about where they work.

A survey just released by ClickSoftware has found that the most important factor affecting whether employees stay with their jobs is its location. So much so that 57% of respondents found this more important than how much they earned, or whether their job was secure. A long commute can have a really detrimental effect on someone’s productivity, so it’s no surprise it’s a key consideration when applying for jobs, or something that can impact retention when a company decides to relocate.

The most popular place to work is at home – reflecting the increasing pace of acceptance that workers don’t always have to be ‘present’ to be productive. This is something that is now backed up by legislation, with all workers entitled to ask for flexible working since last year.

What we see here is a dual move away from presenteeism and an expectation that workers will stay in the office between rigid hours of the day (even if they’re just looking at Facebook), and hopefully a move towards more trust in employees that they will achieve targets regardless of location.

It’s also an acceptance that more staff (particularly those in Generations Y and Z) require a certain amount of stimulation external to their office environment – whether that’s the opportunity to check up on emails in Starbucks or a few days off a year to volunteer for a charity close to their hearts.

For recruiters, this may manifest itself as a trend where candidates ask deeper and more probing questions about location and office environment – anything from asking about gym membership to the location of the office meditation room, or whether it has a view of their favourite London landmark.

We spend so many of our waking hours at work, it’s hard not to forgive a little pickiness about where we do it, especially as the economy improves.