Is working from home working? Lords Committee says it could get people back into work

Today, the House of Lords Home-based Working Committee publishes its report, ‘Is working from home working?' The Committee concluded that home working could support the Government's plans to get people back into work, by enabling people to work who might not otherwise be able to do so. 

The Committee investigated the effects and future development of remote and hybrid working in the UK and also found that:

• Hybrid working can be the “best of both worlds” compared to fully remote or in-person work, but only if done well;
• Not everyone can work from home and access to it is unequal, with levels higher among professionals, university graduates, and those living in London;
• Many return-to-office mandates amount to formalising hybrid working, rather than a return to full-time office attendance;
• Remote and hybrid working can help employers with recruitment and retention, but can present challenges for collaboration and management;
• Changes to flexible working requests under the Government's Employment Rights Bill could risk “years of litigation” at employment tribunals, unless the legislation is defined clearly and effectively;
• There is no “one-size-fits all” answer to the question of working from home and productivity.

The Committee has recommended that the Government:

• Set out whether remote and hybrid working are being considered as part of existing initiatives to support people with disabilities and long-term health conditions back into work;
• Promote and incentivise employer investment in management training to support effective remote and hybrid working, including by reconsidering its proposed cuts to apprenticeship programmes focused on leadership skills;
• Review the relationship between its 60% office attendance policy for civil servants and cuts to government office space;
• Avoid major further regulation or legislation on home working, but publish updated guidance to help employers;
• Implement its changes to flexible working requests under the Employment Rights Bill in a way that considers the impact on employment tribunals;   
• Assign ministerial responsibility for the gathering of more detailed data on remote and hybrid working.

The report also includes additional recommendations on increasing investment in broadband, addressing the shifts in demand for transport created by hybrid working, and tackling the risks AI may pose to remote jobs in the future.

Baroness Scott of Needham Market, who chaired the Home-based Working Committee, said:

“The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic transformed working from home into a “new normal” for many workers. Our report represents a comprehensive examination of all aspects of home working based on a thorough consideration of the available evidence. 

“Effective management of hybrid working is key in allowing people to reap the collaborative benefits of attending the office as well as the flexibility to work from home. If it is done well, hybrid working has the potential to be the best of both worlds. However, due to under-investment in management training, the skills needed to successfully manage hybrid working are lacking. We've asked the Government to address this by reconsidering current cuts to relevant apprenticeship training, or coming up with a suitable alternative to encourage training investment. 

“The increased flexibility of remote and hybrid working can be especially beneficial to people with disabilities and to parents or carers, and may help them to work where they couldn't previously. If the Government wants to encourage more people back into work, then it should look into the potential of remote and hybrid working alongside existing back to work initiatives.  

“While we don't expect the Government to legislate further on a subject that is best handled by employers and workers, it should provide relevant guidance and promote already existing guidance more widely. As it implements the Employment Rights Bill, it should ensure its changes to flexible working requests do not put undue pressure on the employment tribunal system. 

“The recommendations in our report are practicable and deliverable and we look forward to receiving the Government's response in due course. We urge the Government to work towards implementation, including cross departmental data gathering so that current trends can be tracked, analysed and put to good use when developing policy in the future.”