Over the past decade the number of employees who say they typically work from home has increased by almost one fifth, finally passing the 1.5 million mark.

Research conducted from the TUC found that 1.52 million employees categorised themselves as working from home last year and millions are expected to follow this trend.  To no HR expert’s surprise, IT, agriculture and construction were the most frequently cited industries with the highest penetration of home workers residing in the south west and the east of London.             

Flexible working and flexible working hours have been at the forefront of human resource discussion for quite some time now.  However, whilst there is evidence of increasing acceptance for flexible working practices, the TUC suggests that the take-up of working from home could actually be tapering down.  Ultimately, many companies have trust issues with their employees.  They don’t trust them to be as productive when they work from home without management supervision.

The TUC also reported that the biggest growth in home working has actually been seen amongst women.  This does make sense.  The ONS reported that since the retirement age for women has been pushed up over recent years, many female workers who would have probably retired have remained in the workforce. Furthermore, the employment rate for women reached its highest since comparable records began in 1971.  Overall, the number of employed people has reached a record high.