National Working From Home Day 2021 will be taking place on the 14th May 2021, and will form part of Work Wise Week 2021, which will be running from the 9th May 2021 – 15th May 2021. As articles from previous years have highlighted, National Working From Home Day 2021 is an initiative organised by Work Wise UK, with the aim of promoting smarter and more flexible working practices
National Working From Home Day 2021
The official aim behind National Working From Home Day 2021 and Work Wise Week 2021 according to Work Wise UK is to "promote modern “smarter” working practices such as agile, flexible, remote and mobile working, as well as working from home. As the UK population continues to address the unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on all aspects of daily life, we invite Employers, Employees and the Self Employed to use their social media channels to say what they are doing to adapt and create new smarter ways of smarter ways of working, referencing #workwiseweek and #nwfhd."
In recent years, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, working from home had increased significantly, due in part to initiatives like National Working From Home Day 2021. However, as a result of the pandemic and the Government's work from home where possible message, the numbers working from home have increased enormously.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the numbers working from home reached as high as 63% during the week of the 14th-17th May 2021, although that figure has now fallen back to 47% as of the week of the 29th March 2021 - 1st April 2021. But whilst the amount of home working remains high, will there be a long term increase in the levels of home working once the Covid-19 pandemic is over? Research suggests that it will, and that is one of the main objectives behind National Working From Home Day 2021.
Working From Home: The Latest Statistics
National Working From Home Day 2021 represents the 16th year that there has been a national day, with the event having been launched in 2006. The numbers of people working from home and engaging in remote working has increased enormously during that period.
According to 2019 statistics from the TUC, the picture immediately prior to the Covid-19 pandemic was as follows:-
- The TUC estimated that around 1,722,000 people worked from home in the UK, an increase of 374,000 over the previous decade (an increase of 27.7%). This represents 6.1% of the workforce.
- 62% of those who work from home were men, and 38% were women.
- The region with the highest proportion of home working was the South West (8.1%), whilst the region with the lowest proportion was Northern Ireland (3.1%)
- In terms of sectors of the economy, that with the largest proportion of home workers was agriculture, forestry and fishing (16.6%), whilst hotels and restaurants had the lowest proportion (1.6%)
- Managers were the most likely to work from home (11.9%), whilst those in ‘elementary occupations’ such as cleaners were the least likely (2%)
- Those aged 40-59 are most likely to work from home (7.4%), whilst those aged 20-29 are the least likely (3.4%)
- In terms of those who were not currently working from home, around 4 million would like to work at least part of their time from home.
- Compared to those who rent, homeowners are 73% more likely to work from home
The position currently is very different as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockdowns. Finder.com in their recent research released last month found the following:-
- Whilst the ONS statistics have found that 53% of working adults were now commuting to work at least once a week, Finder found that 60% are still working regularly from home
- Once the pandemic is over, 26% of working adults plan to continue working from home either permanently or part-time. Should that materialise, then that would represent an increase of 19.9% from the 6.1% who were working from home immediately prior to the pandemic in 2019.
- Each worker working from home saves £44.78 per week in outgoings on average by avoiding the costs of commuting and lunchtime expenses.
- A survey conducted by TalkTalk found that 58% of workers reported that they were more productive working at home, compared with working at the office.
National Working From Home Day 2021: Looking Beyond the Pandemic
The big question being addressed by National Working From Home Day 2021 and Work Wise Week 2021 is will the shift towards home working be sustained post pandemic. The evidence strongly suggests that it will be.
The survey conducted by Finder is not the only one to report a likely long term increase in home working once the Covid-19 pandemic is over. Research carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), who interviewed 1,046 employers, found that there is likely to be a permanent and long term increase in home working post covid, with employers anticipating that the number of employees working from home will more than double to 37%, compared with just 18% prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, employers believe that the number of employees working from home full time will also more than double from 9% to 22%.
Another survey from HubbleHQ also found that the number of employees who want to engage in home working post covid at least 1 day per week stands at 86%, although just 15% said that they would want to work from home full time. That is, the majority of employees wanted a balance, a hybrid, between working from the office and working from home.
The Chief Executive of Work Wise UK, Phil Flaxton (who has organised National Working From Home Day 2021), states: "Whilst it is encouraging to see a significant increase in the number of employees working from home there still needs to be a cultural shift for it to be accepted more widely. Attitudes are changing on how we balance or mix work and lifestyle. Increasing mobility and technology is shifting the acceptance or need for traditional 9-5 work patterns, to be replaced by a more flexible approach to the working week and this trend will continue as more of us embrace new, smarter ways of working such as working from home."
Mr Flaxton adds: "More employers need to realise the tangible benefits of changing outdated working practices to reflect the connected world in which we live. These include, increased productivity, staff retention, less absenteeism and employee burnout. The business case is sound, and it really can be a win-win for all concerned."
