Article by Bridgette Barrett

It is estimated that as many as five million people will work from home on Thursday 15^th May 2008, and all with the encouragement of their employers. National Work at Home Day is the launch of Work Wise Week, highlighting smarter working practices.

The day is the initiative of Work Wise UK – a five year project supported by the TUC and Confederation of British Industry. It is aimed at encouraging businesses to give their employees the chance to work from home, and to try flexible working – which includes initiatives such as condensed hours and nine day fortnights – and remote working. The hope is that the day will enable both employers and employees to see the many benefits of working at home, in order to promote a better work/life balance.

Improvements in technology and the ability to easily share information over the internet means that home working is a more viable alternative than ever before for many firms. For example, British Telecom have 11,500 full time home workers and 64,000 flexible workers. Previous concerns about lack of social interaction have been reduced thanks to the upsurge of websites for home workers, and the ease with which workers can communicate with their co-workers whether they are down the road or at the other end of the country..

Between 1997 and 2007, the number of home workers increased from 2.3 million to 3.4 million. This trend has continued to the present day and is predicted to double by 2012. Of these home workers, 64% are self employed, and there has been a particular boom in the number of women setting up their own businesses and working from home. Many of them have done this specifically to achieve a better work/life balance once they have had a family. There are many successful companies that have started life on these foundations, such as Tish Tash Toys, Truly Madly Baby, and Cuddledry. Many of these companies have also gone on to support other people who wish to work from home by employing home workers in their businesses. Additionally, as in the case of Tish Tash Toys, some of them have a nationwide network of agents who all work at home on a commission basis. This enables many people – mothers particularly – to stay at home with their children and work around their needs, as well as avoiding complicated childcare issues such as the school holidays or children being sick.

As well as childcare issues, there are many other personal benefits of working from home. The daily commute is not only time consuming, it can also be costly, especially in the current climate of rising fuel prices. It has been calculated that in the South-East, the average commuter spends the equivalent of one working day each week commuting. This time spent commuting could instead be spent on leisure and family activities instead, which will have additional health and psychological benefits. It also means that people can start work unflustered and without the stress that can be caused by commuting. Many employers are starting to understand the benefits of having a healthier and happier workforce in terms of reduced sickness and better productivity.

For firms who are looking to reduce their carbon footprint, then giving employees the opportunity to work from home – if only for one or two days a week – could have a significant impact. More home workers means there are fewer commuters on the roads and using public transport. Research by Oxford University has shown that reducing the number of people making the daily commute can have an impact on carbon dioxide emissions. Fewer cars on the road will also reduce other forms of pollution, particularly in the large cities. Additionally, there will be less pressure on public transport, making commuting more bearable for those people who have to travel. There is also the possibility that families could reduce the number of cars they own if one member of the family was able to work from home, increasing the benefits to the environment.

Increasingly, as more people work from home, businesses are realising the savings that can be involved for them. Having home workers or flexible workers reduces the need for office space and the associated overheads. BT has calculated that by introducing flexible working and employing home workers they have saved £220 million in real estate costs alone over the last ten years, and travel costs have been reduced by £9.7 million a year. They have also seen a 20% increase in productivity. Many other companies are realising these benefits and are keen to take advantage of the improvements in technology and help their workforce to achieve that all important work/life balance.

Obviously, working at home is not possible for everyone. However, the days when ‘working at home’ was seen as a metaphor for having a day off seem to be over and Work at Home day is helping to publicise that.

For more information see www.workwiseuk.org