The number of people regularly working from home has risen to 4.2 million in the last decade. An additional 1.8 million people would like to work from home but are not given the chance. Contributor Adam Cox, Founder – Work From Home Week

Work From Home Week (15th-21st) aims to educate both employers and employees about the benefits. Those working from home now account for 13.7 percent of the UK workforce, but there is potential for many more of us to reap the rewards of home-working. While many companies offer flexible working, or the option to work from home, employees often feel resistant to the idea, opting to stay in the office to ‘prove’ they’re working.

However over half (53 percent) of workers feel they’d be more productive if they could work outside the office, being free to work without unnecessary meetings, confusing email chains, or long calls. General job satisfaction and happiness increases in people who work from home, being in comfortable familiar surroundings where you can enjoy a greater degree of control over your immediate environment.

Working from home also means employees are less likely to be exposed to illnesses, due to avoiding packed public transport, or busy offices where they may be forced to be in close proximity to ill co-workers. Furthermore, the UK is estimated to lose £300 billion by 2030 due to lost time during traffic congestion. Working from home eliminates this time wastage, helping employees, their employers, and the economy. Reductions in commuting time can help improve worker mental health, reduce tiredness, and increase overall productiveness by giving them greater flexibility.

Work From Home Week (15th-21st) is back to spread the word about the benefits of working from home, with founder Adam Cox championing worker flexibility and increased productivity: ‘Technology means that most of what needed to happen in an office can happen at home. While it won’t work for certain industries such as catering or building it certainly is viable for most office based sectors. We have found that productivity can actually increase significantly as employees are no longer experiencing the same level of distractions or interruptions.’