{"id":15050,"date":"2020-07-06T14:52:56","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T14:52:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/?p=15050"},"modified":"2020-07-06T14:55:20","modified_gmt":"2020-07-06T14:55:20","slug":"right-to-work-from-home","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instantoffices.com\/blog\/featured\/right-to-work-from-home\/","title":{"rendered":"Right to Work from Home: Is Our Return to the Office Temporary?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With businesses having seen the tangible benefits of a mobile workforce over the last few months, our return to the office may be temporary as a new way of working takes shape.<\/p>\n

In response to how the workforce adapted during COVID-19, Germany\u2019s Labour and Social Affairs Minister has revealed plans to present a bill granting all workers the \u2018right to work from home\u2019 by law. At the same time, politicians are calling for more tax advantages for employees who work from home, such as the ability to deduct 20% of warm rent from income tax.<\/p>\n

In a country where 80%<\/a> of workplaces now have a flexible work policy in place, and where 68% of workers consider this the new normal, a remote German workforce could become a reality sooner than we think, and there are many countries who could follow suit, including the UK.<\/p>\n

(click to enlarge)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n


\nWhat Would the Right to Work from Home Mean in the UK?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to representatives of the UK law firm Lewis Silkin (a member of the global HR law alliance Ius Laboris<\/a>) Employees have the right not to be subjected to any detriment for refusing to come to work in circumstances where they reasonably believe they are in \u201cserious and imminent danger\u201d (under s44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996).<\/p>\n

Following the lead of countries like Finland, who introduced a new Working Hours Act in January 2020 to encourage more flexibility, and Germany, with its \u2018Right to Work from Home\u2019 bill, working from home could cease to be a perk in the UK and actually become law.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve seen in recent years how flexible working can have a positive impact on talent acquisition<\/a> and retention. We\u2019ve also noticed a significant increase in demand for the opportunity to work from home, particularly from working parents<\/a> (and especially mums) looking to return to the workplace. Considering these trends, it\u2019s reasonable to expect that the right to work from home could help businesses to retain more diverse talent, save on turnover costs and enjoy the benefits of a happier, more engaged workforce.<\/p>\n

Although employees in the UK have a legal right to request flexible working under the Employment Rights Act, we haven\u2019t embraced this trend in UK workplace culture like our European counterparts have. Post-COVID-19 has seen sentiments shift, however, and if a \u201cright to work from home\u201d law comes into place, it could see a rise in productivity, benefitting both employees and businesses.<\/p>\n

A UK survey showed that 65% of workers<\/a> are more productive in home offices than at their regular offices. 83% of workers feel they don\u2019t need to be in the office to be productive, and two-thirds of employers agree, reporting increased productivity among remote workers.<\/p>\n

The benefits of a remote workforce can also be seen on a financial level as companies save on office space and adopt a more flexible approach, using coworking spaces<\/a> or serviced offices<\/a> as and when needed.<\/p>\n

Major Businesses Leading the Way<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Several major corporations have been adopting policies that allow employees to work from home. For example, Amazon and Microsoft employees have the option to work from home until October, while Google and Facebook workers have the option until the end of 2020. Some businesses are looking further ahead, and Twitter has offered their staff the opportunity to work from home permanently.<\/p>\n

As these international businesses begin to navigate the benefits and challenges of working from home, we could see workplace strategy shift towards a more flexible strategy on a long-term basis.<\/p>\n

Find out how flexible commercial property<\/a> can support your business right now.<\/p>\n

Countries Leading the Remote & Flexible Work Trend<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Country<\/td>\nBusinesses with a flexible work policy<\/td>\nEmployees who consider flex work to be the new norm<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Germany<\/td>\n80%<\/td>\n\u00a068%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The Netherlands<\/td>\n75%<\/td>\n73%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Australia<\/td>\n71%<\/td>\n74%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
USA<\/td>\n69%<\/td>\n74%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Canada<\/td>\n68%<\/td>\n77%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
UK<\/td>\n68%<\/td>\n73%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brazil<\/td>\n67%<\/td>\n72%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
South Africa<\/td>\n62%<\/td>\n79%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Spain<\/td>\n61%<\/td>\n74%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
France<\/td>\n60%<\/td>\n68%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Looking for Office Space?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

We Operate in Some of the World’s Top Cities:<\/span><\/p>\n

London<\/a>, New York<\/a>, San Francisco<\/a>, Paris<\/a>, Singapore<\/a>, Hong Kong<\/a>,
\nSearch more locations<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With businesses having seen the tangible benefits of a mobile workforce over the last few months, our return to the office may be temporary as a new way of working takes shape. In response to how the workforce adapted during COVID-19, Germany\u2019s Labour and Social Affairs Minister has revealed plans to present a bill granting all workers the \u2018right to work from home\u2019 by law. At the same time, politicians are calling for more tax advantages for employees who work from home, such as the ability to deduct 20% of warm rent from income tax. In a country where 80% of workplaces now have a flexible work policy in place, and where 68% of workers consider this the new normal, a remote German workforce could become a reality sooner than we think, and there are many countries who could follow suit, including the UK. (click to enlarge) What Would the Right to Work from Home Mean in the UK? According to representatives of the UK law firm Lewis Silkin (a member of the global HR law alliance Ius Laboris) Employees have the right not to be subjected to any detriment for refusing to come to work in circumstances where they reasonably believe they are in \u201cserious and imminent danger\u201d (under s44 of the Employment Rights Act 1996). Following the lead of countries like Finland, who introduced a new Working Hours Act in January 2020 to encourage more flexibility, and Germany, with its \u2018Right to Work from Home\u2019 bill, working from home could cease to be a perk in the UK and actually become law. We\u2019ve seen in recent years how flexible working can have a positive impact on talent acquisition and retention. We\u2019ve also noticed a significant increase in demand for the opportunity to work from home, particularly from working parents (and especially mums) looking to return to the workplace. Considering these trends, it\u2019s reasonable to expect that the right to work from home could help businesses to retain more diverse talent, save on turnover costs and enjoy the benefits of a happier, more engaged workforce. Although employees in the UK have a legal right to request flexible working under the Employment Rights Act, we haven\u2019t embraced this trend in UK workplace culture like our European counterparts have. Post-COVID-19 has seen sentiments shift, however, and if a \u201cright to work from home\u201d law comes into place, it could see a rise in productivity, benefitting both employees and businesses. A UK survey showed that 65% of workers are more productive in home offices than at their regular offices. 83% of workers feel they don\u2019t need to be in the office to be productive, and two-thirds of employers agree, reporting increased productivity among remote workers. The benefits of a remote workforce can also be seen on a financial level as companies save on office space and adopt a more flexible approach, using coworking spaces or serviced offices as and when needed. Major Businesses Leading the Way Several major corporations have been adopting policies that allow employees to work from home. For example, Amazon and Microsoft employees have the option to work from home until October, while Google and Facebook workers have the option until the end of 2020. Some businesses are looking further ahead, and Twitter has offered their staff the opportunity to work from home permanently. As these international businesses begin to navigate the benefits and challenges of working from home, we could see workplace strategy shift towards a more flexible strategy on a long-term basis. Find out how flexible commercial property can support your business right now. Countries Leading the Remote & Flexible Work Trend Country Businesses with a flexible work policy Employees who consider flex work to be the new norm Germany 80% \u00a068% The Netherlands 75% 73% Australia 71% 74% USA 69% 74% Canada 68% 77% UK 68% 73% Brazil 67% 72% South Africa 62% 79% Spain 61% 74% France 60% 68%   Looking for Office Space? We Operate in Some of the World’s Top Cities: London, New York, San Francisco, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong, Search more locations<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15051,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[214],"tags":[627,9],"class_list":["post-15050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-remote-work","tag-remote-working"],"yoast_head":"\nRight to Work From Home: Is Our Return to the Office Temporary? - Instant Offices Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our return to the office may be temporary as a new way of working takes shape around the world. 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