Codestone

Category: Workforce Mobility

Staff who are offered the option of home working could be less likely to ring in sick, it has been suggested.

Dr Tony Williams, consultant occupational physician at Benenden Hospital, said companies which are keen to reduce the number of sick days taken by their staff could benefit from coming up with "alternative solutions and support mechanisms" to do so.

"Working from home can often be an answer," he added.

Research from Benenden Healthcare Society revealed that the average British adult takes 3.5 days off work a year due to sickness - around 141 during their working life - illustrating the potential benefit of home working, which could be carried out with the use of remote access software.

Andrew McGrath, executive director of commercial at Virgin Media Business, said recently that home working employees could really benefit from having remote server access in order to boost their productivity.

Posted by Jack Gilbert