The Centre Think Tank logo in pink consists of the word “Centre” with a dot in the middle of the letter “C”, all in pink.
The Centre Think Tank logo in pink consists of the word “Centre” with a dot in the middle of the letter “C”, all in pink.
The Centre Think Tank logo in pink consists of the word “Centre” with a dot in the middle of the letter “C”, all in pink.

Our vision

The future of working from home

This paper looks at how we can improve working from home with COVID-19, causing a shift away from in-person work.

A pink strip at the top of the paper with the words: "Centre Think Tank ISSN 2634-4696". The paper title is "The future of working from home: Protecting working from home during COVID-19". Below this is a woman at a desk with headphones on, sitting at a computer. Under this are the words "Briefing paper. By Torrin Wilkins and Janey Little, July 20th 2020". At the bottom is a white strip with the Centre Think Tank logo in pink beneath.

The future of working from home: Protecting working from home during COVID-19

This paper will explore how working from home can be encouraged more after the COVID-19 outbreak. It will explore the current UK laws on the issue, how other countries handle and encourage working from home (Finland, Germany, and the Netherlands), and what policy proposals we would support the UK taking up with these other countries in mind.
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Quick summary

  • With the COVID-19 lockdown and social distancing still in place, working from home has suddenly become a new normal. Even when things return to normal, the option to work from home should remain.
  • Working from home has benefits including reducing long-distance travel and, as a result, emissions. In the fight against climate change, working from home provides a way of reducing emissions without disruption.
  • In the UK, employees have the right to request flexible working, which includes working from home. However, there is little protection for workers if their employer denies their request.
  • Germany has successfully created a legal framework to protect workers who want to work from home, and it also looks likely to introduce a law to allow them to work at home as a right.
  • The Netherlands already has 14.1% of its workforce working from home, even before COVID-19. The UK needs to copy their protections for those who work at home.
  • Working from home requires universally high broadband connectivity. Without this, those in rural areas or areas with low internet speeds are unlikely to be able to benefit from working from home.
  • Finland has also been championing working from home. We need to copy collective bargaining and workers on company boards, which helps to protect the ability to work from home.
  • The UK needs to make it so that businesses must prove people cannot work at home if they are denying them the ability to do so. Workers must also have access to high internet speeds and 20% of the seats on company boards.

Authors

Torrin Wilkins

Director and Founder

Torrin is the Founder and Director of Centre Think Tank. His experience includes authoring over a dozen papers and over one hundred policies. His policies have been backed by an All-Party Parliamentary Group of over 260 MPs and included in various party manifestos. He has appeared in a wide range of print and broadcast media and previously had a weekly column for a national publication. He has a degree in Political Studies from Aberystwyth University.

Janey Little

Janey is a member of the Liberal Democrats and won a British Education Award in 2020.