Home workers happier despite choosing to work more hours

New research has found that home workers are happy despite choosing to work more hours than when they worked in traditional offices, according to customer service provider Sensée.

Despite opting to work more hours daily, the research found that home workers are happier because they’re empowered to choose the hours they work so they can still tend to family responsibilities. Three-quarters of current home-based employees (77%) stated that working from home enables them to achieve more in their day, including caring for family members or friends, exercising more and further education.

Time and money saved on commuting – along with more control over their day – were cited among the top three benefits of working from home.

“Homeworking has progressed massively in the past five years,” explains Steve Mosser, CEO of Sensée. “We’re at what we’re calling the next generation of homeworking, or Homeworking 2.0. This is where all barriers associated with home working are removed, including the challenge of trust between an employer and employee. Critically, our ecosystem enables people to choose when they work, and employers have peace-of-mind that they are fully focused on work activities when they do.

“Although home working isn’t for everyone, it gives those that want to an opportunity to have more control over their day by being truly empowered to build their work hours around their life. As the UK’s biggest employer of home workers, many of our staff choose to convert the hours saved on commuting to work more. The great news is that they’re still overall happier and have a better work/life balance – largely because they don’t need to sacrifice time doing things that are important to them, and most importantly when they want to do them,” said Mosser.

The research revealed a desire to work from home among office-based employees. Three-fifths (81%) said they would take the opportunity to work from home (full time or part time) to care for a family member or friend.

A number of office workers expressed their cynicism about homeworking due to a fear of either distractions or loneliness. However Homeworking 2.0 has been successful in addressing both of these concerns through technology and new ways of collaborative working.

To learn more about Sensée’s homeworking opportunities, visit sensee.co.uk/homeworking/vacancies.html.