Flirting and gossip are two of the most common things people who work from home miss about office life, according to research. 

More than 4.2 million people work from home according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS). That’s nearly 14% 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. Cartridge People, the online ink cartridge retailer, asked 1,800 homeworkers what they love and hate about working from home. Social isolation (64 per cent), fewer work friend (47 per cent) and lack of ‘brainstorms’ (45 per cent) 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 (42 per cent). The fact there’s no ‘IT guy’ to come and fix issues with PCs is a major issue (32 per cent) as well as the fact people don’t need to get ‘dressed up’ for work (14 per cent).

According to the research, some of the best things about working from home are the flexible working hours (84 per cent), lack of commute (70 per cent) and the absence of office politics (28 per cent). Homeworkers also enjoy cheaper lunches (7 per cent) and making single cups of tea and coffee rather than large rounds (5 per cent). 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.”

Worst ten things about working from home 

Best ten things about working from home

See www.cartridgepeople.com/ourcp/ten-best-and-worst-things-about-working-from-home/