Over a third of employers have seen an increase in staff working from home compared with 2022, an Acas survey has found.
News
Cost of living fuels work from home boom
By
on 01 September 2023
Acas crunched the results from 1,015 working adults between March and April 2023. Each person was asked: after the rise in the cost of living to what extent have you seen a change in the proportion of employees working from home in your business? Thirty-six per cent said there had been a rise, 13 per cent of whom said a ‘significant rise’.
Chief executive of Acas, Susan Clews, said the results were “unsurprising”: “For some workers, the cost of commuting is eating into their budgets, while for others, going to their workplaces saves on home energy costs.”
The findings come as a new law could make it easier for people to request flexible working arrangements.
Mums, dads, carers and older workers who need to work flexibly, still fear discrimination or rejection when asking about flexible working in the recruitment process. Photograph: iStock
Although employees have always been legally able to make the request, the Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023, which came into force in July, gives more options. Employers will now have to consult with their staff before they reject a request and secondary legislation will introduce a right to request from day one of employment.
However, unions and campaigners, while welcoming the law, say that more needs to be done. In a joint statement, the TUC, Fawcett Society, Women’s Budget Group and Timewise said that mums, dads, carers and older workers who need to work flexibly, still fear discrimination or rejection when asking about flexible working in the recruitment process.
“To truly meet their manifesto commitment to make flexible working the default, the government must require employers to include all possible flexible working options in job adverts. This is a small, simple change that would make a huge difference to working people,” they said.
Acas is developing a statutory Code of Practice on flexible working to replace the existing 2014 Code, which will set out best practice for employers. Consultation runs until 6 September.
Acas Survey: here
NEWS
Employers urged to listen to staff when designing workplace wellbeing strategies
By Kerry Reals on 26 April 2024
Conversation is king when it comes to implementing effective workplace wellbeing strategies, a panel of experts told a recent conference organised and hosted by British Safety Council.
Climate change could expose 70 per cent of workers to health risks, warns UN
By Kerry Reals on 22 April 2024
More than 70 per cent of the global workforce could be exposed to serious health hazards because of climate change, and existing occupational health and safety legislation may not be sufficient to protect workers, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Calls for wellbeing focus intensify as UK economic inactivity rate rises further
By Kerry Reals on 16 April 2024
The number of working-age people in the UK who are neither employed nor looking for a job rose again in the December to February period, prompting calls for more investment in training and a greater focus on the health and wellbeing of the nation.