News and features

Mon, 8 Dec 2008

Survey: Two-thirds want to work from home

A new study indicates a split between workers and managers over the merits of home-based jobs.

Around two-thirds of people would be "happier and more productive" if they were allowed to work from home, but three-quarters currently have no say in where they are based, a new poll has found.

The survey by bluetooth headset manufacturer Plantronics said the number of employees working from their own home has risen by approximately 20 per cent over the last ten years, the Press Association reports.

However, its findings indicate that many managers and firms remain hostile to the practice because of a perception that home-based workers are less productive and not team players.

Plantronics' general manager Paul Clark said: "The suspicion that home workers don't work as hard or waste time is very old-fashioned."

Recent research from the Cranfield School of Management, published in the Financial Times, found that around half of managers believe flexible practices such as working from home have a positive effect on the amount of work completed, while the "vast majority" said they have either a positive or neutral impact on the quality of output.