Working from home is on the increase – as more and more employers appreciate the impact a good work/life balance can have on morale and productivity, so more employees are being offered flexible working.
Category: <span>Flexible working</span>
The average number of journeys taken in the UK fell to 921 last year – the lowest number since records began, according to the latest figures from the Department for Transport’s National Travel Survey.
Trips for shopping and commuting falling consistently since the mid-1990s and this year’s figure represents a drop of 16% on the number of trips taken in 1995.
The fall in the number of trips taken by car has fallen since the mid-2000s, in spite of the fact there’s been no change in the number of households with access to car.
So what’s happening on the roads?
If you’re an employer, you may be concerned that offering staff the chance to work from home could lead to a drop in productivity – but for many employees, the exact opposite is true and some feel the need to get away from the office to concentrate on their work.
A FlexJobs survey of over 2,600 employees found more than three-quarters (76%) of respondents get out of the office when they have to focus on important projects.
And of those who do prefer to work in the office, many would sooner work there out of the traditional nine-to-five office hours.
So is it time to end the nine-to-five?
Technology is meant to make our working lives a whole lot easier and, ideally, our working week shorter – British economist John Maynard Keynes predicted we’d all be working 15-hour weeks by 2030, but 15-hour days looks like it could be closer to the mark.
So if you’re one of those workaholics who never goes home on time, it’s high time you clocked off on time and got your work/life balance back in order!
Can employees be trusted to work from home?
It’s the age old question that bugs any employer who offers, or is thinking of offering, flexible working to any of their employees.
Of course, all the evidence suggests that employees who are able to work from home and fit their job around other commitments are not only happier in their work, but more productive, and even more loyal to their employers.
Offering employees flexible hours and the chance to work from home can not only cut overheads by as much as £6,000-a-year, but can also improve staff morale and productivity – so it’s no wonder more and more companies are looking at reaping the benefits of telecommuting.
And it seems all sectors are getting on board the work-from-home bandwagon as a recent study from FlexJobs, a company specialising in finding remote and flexible working opportunites, has found it’s no longer just everyday office workers who are offered telecommuting opportunities.
So here are 2014’s top work from home jobs, ordered by sector – there’s certainly something for everyone…
As of June 30 this year, all UK employees will have a legal right to request flexible working – including remote working, working from home, flexi-time and job sharing – in what will be one of the biggest shake-ups in employment law the UK has ever seen.
Of course, asking for flexible working is one thing, getting it can be quite another, but this new legislation means your employer has to at least consider your proposal. So put a good enough case across – think reduced overheads, increased productivity – and you could be soon be flexible working and all the benefits it brings.
So, how many of you enjoyed the relative pleasures of working from home today – it being National Work from Home Day and all?
If you did then you were in good company as figures released today by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) reveal more than 4million people now regularly work from home – a year-on-year rise of 62,000.
But some parts of the UK do more home-working than others…
A futureologist at BT (yes, such a position actually exists, crystal ball skills a bonus) believes the office-based nine-to-five will soon become a thing of the past as we have now reached the point whereby those in “knowledge-based” professions can effectively do their jobs with little more than a computer, phone and internet connection.
2013 was a great year for tech as some jaw-dropping innovations – such as Google Glass and 3D Printing – landed, while apps like Vine and Instagram exploded onto the social media scene.
So, what does 2014 have in store for us? Here are our predictions for this year’s tech trends…