Change to homeworking ‘permanent’ – report

THE pandemic has sparked a permanent increase in homeworking, with support from employers and staff for changes to working practices, according to a new report.

The TUC said many workplaces and workers are still trialling new arrangements for homeworking and hybrid working and negotiating long-term policies. But there is evidence in support of change, with nine in 10 of those who worked from home during the pandemic saying they want to continue working remotely at least some of the time, said the union organisation.

Regular homeworking has increased since before the pandemic, rising from 6.8% of workers in 2019, and 12.1% in 2020, to 22.4% in 2021, according to a TUC study. Despite successful homeworking during the pandemic, trade unions say some members are now being denied homeworking requests without their employer giving them a genuinely good reason.

Some workers have also received negative treatment from their employer as a result of working flexibly, said the TUC. General secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Everyone should have access to flexible working, 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.”