National Working From Home Day 2022 will take place on the 20th May 2022, and will form part of Work Wise Week 2022, which will run from the 15th May 2022 – 21st May 2022. National Working From Home Day is an initiative organised by Work Wise UK, with the aim of promoting smarter and more flexible working practices
National Working From Home Day 2022
The objectives behind National Working From Home Day 2022 and Work Wise Week 2022 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 the years preceding the Covid-19 pandemic, working from home had increased considerably, due in part to initiatives like the annual National Working From Home Day. However, as a result of the pandemic and the Government’s working from home where possible message, the numbers working from home increased enormously.
Prior to the pandemic, 6.1% of the workforce worked from home according the TUC. However, figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) highlight that the numbers working from home reached as high as 49% during the period of the 11th – 14th June 2020, although that figure has now fallen back to 36% as of the period of the 19th - 30 January 2022. Nevertheless, that is still 6 times as many as the level reached pre-pandemic
Research suggests that the level of working from work will remain high post-pandemic, and that is one of the main objectives behind National Working From Home Day 2022.
The Latest Research
National Working From Home Day 2022 represents the 17th 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 considerably during that period.
Recent Surveys
The latest research shows that:-
- According to the ONS, during the period of the 19th - 30th January 2022, 36% of working adults had worked from home at least once in the proceding 7 days
- Those aged 30-49 are the age group most likely to be engaged in home working, with 38% of them doing so as of February 2022 according to Statista. This contrasts with workers in the 16-29 year old age group, where just 23% are home working.
- Fifty of the largest UK employers stated to the BBC that at least some of their staff will continue to work from home
- Information gathered from the 2021 census found that 85% of those who are home working would prefer a hybrid working arrangement going forward. This finding is backed up by a survey from HubbleHQ which found that the number of employees who want to engage in home working post covid at least 1 day per week, stands at 86%. Just 15% however 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.
- Research conducted by Finder.com found that on average, each worker who works from home saves £44.78 per week in outgoings 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
Looking Ahead
In a recent article on working from home and to what extent it will continue post pandemic, the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) stated that "there are indications that many employees will wish to continue some degree of homeworking (or flexible working in general) following the pandemic."
The CIPD also found in a survey of 1,046 employers that the number of employees working from home is projected to more than double to 37% post pandemic, 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%.
