Working from home: the way of the future or a woke gimmick?

Four years ago, if you had told million pound companies that up to half of their workforce would be working from their New York flats, London townhouses or Parisian apartments rather than working in a company approved office, you probably would have received a laugh in the face.

Now though this is a serious and even applauded approach encouraged by the likes of AirBnb, Google and Twitter. If powerhouses like these can function and even prosper with their employees at home, it’s left the start-ups, hospitality company bosses and creative workers thinking the same thing. Mini, the car company, has even gone the extra mile: as well as taking a hybrid approach, if employees do decide to come to the office, they’re allowed to bring a furry friend - it’s now a dog friendly company.

But this preference isn’t always shared by employers. Some bosses are against any such approach, including companies like Yahoo, Reddit and Goldman Sachs, on the basis that it causes disruption, disorganisation and lack of clear communication.

Research shows that the most preferred approach by employees is a mixture of office and home work - or flexible working, as it has come to be called. There is some psychology to back this up - mental health is shown to be either stable or even have improvements through this method, while solely working from home or an office can cause slight anxiety, loneliness and stress.

This tends to be the approach of most companies. A hybrid method means the majority of its workers are happy, leaving some room for them to decide how they want to work. And if this is the most popular choice by employees, it makes sense that it should also be the most supported approach by employers.

More employee freedom and say in how they decide to approach their way of life is a much healthier and independent way of working. Improving employee happiness is crucial to improving employee quality of work - they go hand in hand. Which is why working from home, in any form, should be included in employee options.

Fether supports that choice in a way that is beneficial for both parties, that is, employee and employer - it is indeed the way of the future.