Recently announced research from insurance provider Aviva has identified the regions in the UK with the highest and lowest proportion of workers who are primarily based at home. Powys in Wales tops the table, with 25.7% of workers based at home. This was then followed by Kensington and Chelsea (25.0%) area and Brighton and Hove (24.9%).
Workers in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland were least likely to be home-based according to the study, with just 5.6% citing their home as their main work base. Scottish regions appear throughout the top 10 least common areas for home workers, with Aberdeen City and Inverclyde coming second and third on this list.
Employer and Employee Benefits
Data from the ONS has also indicated that one in seven UK workers now work from home and as the Aviva research shows, many employees now considering flexible working patterns as the norm rather than the exception.
So, if you don’t already offer it, it’s worth asking yourself the question, can flexible working work for my business and if so how?
Flexible working benefits very much lends itself to a positive Company culture. It can promote a good work-life balance for employees and recognises that individuals have different needs both inside and outside work.
With employee mental health and well-being very much at the top of everyone’s agenda, flexible working can really add value to the general well-being of your team and reduce absenteeism. Additionally, employees often feel more trusted and motivated and likely to go that extra mile which they may not have done otherwise.
From an employer’s perspective, CIPD research has shown that flexible working can increase employee engagement and aid the retention of existing employees ultimately keeping hold of your best talent!
We all know recruitment can be a costly business, so the more you can do to attract and retain your best employees, the better it is financially. Furthermore, flexibility can be more valuable to an employee over and above remuneration, so can be even more cost effective to an employer.
Of course, flexible working doesn’t work for all companies and to work effectively it does need to work for the employer and employee and both need to see its value. If you would like to discuss further how flexible working could work for you and your team, and how you could launch it, then please get in touch today.
Contact us at hello@hrrevolution.co.uk or call 0203 5385 311.
