Labour laws are highly sensitive. The government should tread carefully when it comes to dictating where people do their jobs
What’s not to like about working from home? No commuting. More flexibility. Wear jeans. The boss can’t pester you. It’s a social revolution and it’s happening right now. Before Covid, 4.7% of employed Britons worked from home. Now, 40% say they work from home at least one day a week. Over much of clerical employment, the nine-to-five day has begun to vanish. Mind and body can work wherever and whenever they find themselves in harmony.
The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, is determined to join the bandwagon, speaking positively about flexible work arrangements and against a “culture of presenteeism” in an interview last week. And the government is reportedly looking at strengthening working-from-home rights in its forthcoming employment bill. It may join a battery of other Labour curbs on employment, which could include day-one job security, a ban on zero-hours contracts, limits on probation and a ban on evening work calls.
The consequences of this revolution have been variable. For many, the shift to working from home has been positive. Almost all studies indicate that some degree of homeworking satisfies those who do it and even most of their employers. It has led to an increase in workforce wellbeing and higher productivity. For employers, office occupancy has fallen, which lowers costs. In addition, less travel means more leisure. Train...
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