According to the latest figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), the proportion of people working from home has increased from 9.2% in 2001 to 10.7% in 2012.
These figures further underline the growing trend of people working from home, and the findings showed that London saw the sixth largest increase in homeworking (4.5%), while the South East and South West saw the largest increases at 2.2% and 2.1% respectively.
It also found that nine urban local authorities saw a reduction in the amount of people working at home, with the London Borough of Newham having the largest proportional decrease at 1.1%. However, in all 348 local authorities of England and Wales, the actual number of home workers increased between 2001 and 2011.
Commenting on the figures, Graham Peck, Technical Manager at computing and communications company Node4, said:
“Businesses who have previously wanted to allow their staff to work more flexibly in order to boost productivity now have the tools to do so.
“And as more people resent paying over the odds for their business accommodation, they now have the incentive to pursue ways of helping staff to migrate to remote working.”
There are various reasons why workers may wish to work from home such as increased productivity, to work uninterrupted, better work / life balance, commuting distances and fitting in with domestic and family arrangements.
Technological advancements have allowed for business operations to continue without workers being together in one single location and this trend could continue in the future. There are benefits to be had for both employees and employers if the varying risks, such as communication, work station assessments and lone working, are managed correctly.
