China is the most advanced country in allowing and enabling office workers to work from any location, on any device, according to a study conducted by Virgin Media Business.

The study, commissioned by Polycom, also showed that these nations lead the world at 48% of companies in each country – well above the global average of 29%.

More than 90% of employees in the US and 85% in China work remotely at least once a week, with Virgin Media Business predicting that globally, 60% of office-based employees will regularly work from home by 2022.

The study also showed that 9 out of 10 of Generation Y identify flexibility in the workplace as a top priority, further driving the trend. Two out of three of the world’s most effective leaders are unwilling to re-locate, while 69% say remote working is critical to relieving work-related stress.

According to Sir Cary Cooper, Professor of organisational psychology and health at Manchester Business School, the future worker has three key criteria for their technology whether at home or at work: flexibility, autonomy and ease of use. The result will increase productivity and job enjoyment.

With the transition happening in the workplace, technologies such as video collaboration is being deployed by leading edge companies across the globe, providing employees the flexibility to effectively work from anywhere and connect face to face to share ideas, learn and solve problems.