Home working is rocketing in popularity.

02 July 2008

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Fuel prices, congestion, better telecommunications technology and corporate policies aimed at reducing CO2 emissions are all leading to employers becoming increasingly willing to allow employees to work from home.

Even Government departments are getting in on the act. The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has become the first government department, and public sector organisation, to be awarded the Work Wise Mark of Excellence.

The Mark of Excellence recognises Defra’s achievements in introducing smarter working practices, such as home working, flexible working (including condensed hours and nine-day fortnights), and mobile and remote working.

According to the quarterly Company Car Trends survey by GE Capital Solutions, Fleet Services, 94.5% of fleet decision makers said that home working is reducing the number of business miles travelled – up by 19.4% year on year.

According to the AA, its 300 home working employees are saving 90,000 litres of fuel or 620,000 miles commuting each year by working from home.

Employers struggling to keep on top of fuel price rises feel one of the best solutions open to them is simply to tell their company car drivers to stay at home more often.

This is great news, as the roads will be less congested. However, I wonder if is it really a secret cunning plan by employers who are simply fed up with the excuses employers invent for being late or sick- again?

Jackie Violet Female First

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