Recession boosts working from home

Increasing numbers of recession-hit Brits are choosing to work from home in order to save cash, a new report has found.

More than half (55 per cent) of employees are working from home more frequently since the financial crisis began, according to research commissioned by BT Business. And the vast majority (88 per cent) said their main reason for doing so is the need to save money.

The most widely cited financial saving associated with WFH is not having to get dolled up and 'look the part' for the office - cited by 83 per cent of survey respondents. Almost a third of respondents reckon they can save around £250 per year by not buying smart work clothes.

However cutting down on commuting by regularly working from home has the potential to save even more cash - with almost half of respondents claiming they can make savings of between £10 and £20 per day by not travelling to their workplace. Other significant savings associated come from not having to buy lunch, lattes and expensive snacks from the vending machine.

Nearly two-thirds (60 per cent) of respondents believe they are generally financially better off because they have the flexibility to WFH, the survey found.

But fatter wallets are not the only benefit of flexible working: home workers get the luxury of more time too as they roll out of bed and plonk themselves down at their desk.

According to research commissioned by networking company Avaya, Europeans spend around a fortnight sitting in traffic or crammed under someone's armpit on a rush-hour train.

The poll of more than 3,500 employees in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK found the average commute time is 70 minutes per day, using 1.7 modes of transport. The most common mode of transport is the car - used by 60 per cent of respondents for getting to work.

However the research also found the majority (66 per cent) of workers are able to work a proportion of each week flexibly - and their work/life balance is most likely to benefit as a result.

Asked how they use the time saved by not commuting, the largest proportion (56 per cent) said they spent time with their family; followed by 45 per cent who just 'relax'; and 42 per cent who do tasks or attend appointments they otherwise wouldn't have time for.

A healthy quarter said they use the time for exercise and an over-keen fifth (21 per cent) do more work. Nineteen per cent take on the school run.

Even so, the vast majority of European workers have to do a traditional commute sometimes - just nine per cent never have to commute.

This Friday is not-for-profit organisation Work Wise UK's 'National Work From Home Day' - part of its Work Wise Week to raise awareness of the benefits of smarter working practices.

Click here to read how silicon.com fared last year when the whole team worked from home.