Individuals working in both the public and private sectors are being invited to take part in National Work from Home Day.
Run by Work Wise UK, the nationwide day on May 18 aims to demonstrate the perks of working from home for employers and individuals alike.
Better productivity, improvements in morale and lower staff turnover were cited by the group as the main treats for companies which dip their toe into home-based working.
But there are other beneficiaries: working from home would mean less congestion and pollution, while it also allows family commitments to be more easily met, Work Wise said.
Aside from these green and philanthropic incentives, working from home helps disadvantaged groups, boost individuals’ health and keeps business competitiveness at optimum.
Telecoms giant BT has evidenced the claims that home-working really is ‘smart working’, given it posted a 20% increase in worker productivity since letting staff work from home.
Meanwhile a survey published by First Direct shows that more than a third of British workers now work outside traditional working hours.
The finding was hailed by Work Wise UK as “yet another demonstration that the nature of work across the world is changing fundamentally.”
Phil Flaxton, chief executive, said: "What we are seeing is the beginnings of a complete revolution in the way we work.
“The changes are unavoidable, and crucial if the UK economy is going to be able to compete in the global economy.”
He said National Work from Home Day is “not an excuse for an extra day off”, but rather it should be seen as a “serious attempt” for business to leverage ICT to trial home-based working.
May 8, 2007
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