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.
The rise of flexible working in the UK
Statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlight exactly how flexible and home working is on the rise:
- Of the 30.2 million people in work in January to March 2014, 4.2 million were home workers, giving a home worker rate of 13.9% of those in work. This is the highest rate since comparable records began in 1998.
- The number of home workers has grown by 1.3 million and the rate by 2.8 percentage points since 1998
- Home workers tend to work in higher skilled roles than the rest of the population and consequently earn on average a higher hourly wage.
- Almost two-thirds of home workers were self-employed in 2014.
- Using the home for work is most prevalent within the agriculture and construction industries.
- Working from home is more prevalent among individuals who are older.
- The South West was the region of Great Britain with the highest home working rate at 17.1%.
- The local area with the highest home working rates across England and Wales was West Somerset at 25.7% while the lowest was Kingston upon Hull at 5.2%.
So what exactly are the perks of working from home? This infographic from the US outlines the benefits…
The perks of working from home
