WFH has tripled since pandemic

Today (Friday 20 May) marks the 17th annual Work from Home Day, and since the pandemic regular homeworking by UK employees has tripled.

Figures reveal that remote work has risen from 6.9% in 2019 to 22.4% in 2021, and the annual calendar date today organised by Work Wise UK forms part of Work Wise Week, a week of activity designed to promote employment practices that improve work/life balance.

Reflecting on the figures, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) shared that it suggests a significant permanent increase in homeworking is occurring.

Despite this, the body warned that caution is needed around the long-term scale of the rise.

For example, many organisations and employees are still trialling new arrangements for homeworking and hybrid working and are negotiating long-term policies with the workforce.

Plus, the government still hasn’t set out plans for flexible working rights.

But while working from home has increased since the coronavirus crisis, it seems other types of flexible working have been forgotten.

Analysis from the TUC in 2021 shows that it is only homeworking that has increased, while for other types of flexible working there has been little change.

For example, part-time work has decreased from 24.9% in 2019, to 23.5% in 2021, while term-time working has fallen from 5.3% to 4.8%. Similarly, job sharing has reduced from 0.5% to 0.4%.

83% of employees shared that they want some form of flexible working in TUC’s analysis, while almost two-thirds want some form of flexibility in their working hours.

"Everyone should have access to flexible working,” declared Frances O’Grady, general secretary for the TUC.

“But while homeworking has grown, people in jobs that can’t be done from home have been left behind. They deserve access to flexible working too. And they need new rights to options like flexitime, predictable shifts, and job shares.”

She pointed out that those working from home also need better legal protection, adding that while more employers are now more supportive regards flexible working, some are still “behind the times”.

“The government promised to modernise employment law to make flexible working options the norm for every job. But Boris Johnson has cancelled plans for an employment bill this year. And it is mostly people in working-class jobs who are left out. That’s not fair – ministers must step up and do what they promised,” O’Grady concluded.

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