Codestone

Category: Workforce mobility

Australian firms are leading the way when it comes to home working, with an increasing number allowing their staff to carry out their jobs from remote locations.

A report by the Sydney Morning Herald has revealed that approximately a quarter of the country's employees now work some of their week away from the office.

In addition, some seven per cent work from home on a permanent basis and this figure is rising.

The newspaper is keen to point out it is not only down under where home working is catching on either, as around the world there is said to be an effort to raise productivity by allowing people to work from places other than their office.

In Australia, the development of home working has been strong, with the government last year announcing any employee with a young or disabled child can request to work from home.

The Edmonton Journal recently quoted Rhonda Breitkreuz, assistant professor in the department of human ecology at the University of Alberta, who suggested a 2009 study by the Vanier Institute of the Family showed home working reduces stress levels in staff.

Posted by Jack Gilbert