People who work from home earn more money but miss ‘gossip and flirting’

Record numbers of people work from home in the UK but a lack of office gossip and flirting cited as two of the things most missed

More than 4.2 million people work from home according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). That’s nearly 14 per cent of the working population and the highest number since records began in 1998.

People who work from home earn more money, on average, than others (£13.23 per hour against £10.50 per hour) and get more flexibility on working hours.

However, they claim to miss out on things most people take for granted.

Social isolation, fewer work friend and lack of ‘brainstorms’ came out as the top things people hate most about working from home.

Other aspects people dislike about working from home include being distracted by washing, ironing and children. The fact there’s no ‘IT guy’ to come and fix issues with PCs is a major issue as well as the fact people don’t need to get ‘dressed up’ for work.

According to the research, some of the best things about working from home are the flexible working hours, lack of commute and the absence of office politics. Homeworkers also enjoy cheaper lunches and making single cups of tea and coffee rather than large rounds.

Andrew Davies, spokesperson for Cartridge People, said: “Homeworking is becoming more popular as people set up their own business and employers become more relaxed about the business benefits of having staff work from home.

“This is leading to a debate over the advantages and disadvantages of this new way of working and our results show there are still contrasting views on whether this is best practice for businesses.

“The increase in pay may be a welcome bonus but the lack of social interaction is obviously a miss for those who no longer work from a traditional office building.”