Employers are being urged to take part in National Work from Home Day this Friday (18 May) to demonstrate the benefits of homeworking.
The day is part of a week-long campaign to encourage the widespread adoption of smarter working practices across the UK. The initiative is supported by employers’ groups such as the CBI and British Chambers of Commerce, and the TUC.
Research published last week found up to a third of the UK’s employees now work outside traditional working hours.
The survey, conducted by First Direct bank, found that work done in the 5pm to 9am time slot adds £180bn to the UK’s economy.
Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, the organisation behind the campaign, said the results demonstrated that work was fundamentally changing.
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“Technology is enabling people to work virtually anywhere. National Work from Home Day is not an excuse for an extra day off it is a serious attempt for people and organisations to try out homeworking,” he said.
Businesses report that the introduction of smarter working practices, such as flexible, remote and homeworking, have resulted in improved productivity. Telecoms giant BT, one of the UK’s biggest employers, has long trumpeted the benefits of flexible working, and it is now the norm across its 100,000-plus workforce.
