Starting a business from home could prevent stress, a report has found – despite fears that it could slow career progression.
The research, by Durham Business School, found that although many workers worry about missing out on ‘water-cooler networking’, just 40% of people who work from home report feeling a ‘great deal’ of stress, compared to 65% of office-based workers.
Businesses whose employees work from home also benefit: researchers said 69% of home workers felt their organisation’s problems were ‘their own’, compared to 67% of office-based workers, showing that home workers are just as likely to take on ‘additional duties’.
Researchers said the findings should prompt employers to explore ‘greater opportunities’ to help office-based staff work from home and ensure they enjoy equal career prospects.
Tom Redman, professor of human resource management at the Durham Business School, said there had been worries from some of those the group had surveyed about a ‘lack of face-time’ in an organisation when they weren’t in the office.
“It seems that working from home is an antidote to the stresses of office-based working.”
“Employers were worried that staff who worked from home would not be as committed to those extra duties where employees go above and beyond the call of duty for their company,” he said.
“We found that working from home did not undermine this behaviour. The interesting challenge for the future is to see how staff can become corporate citizens electronically.
He added: “As working from home does not harm an employee’s commitment and has real benefits for staff our argument is that a lot of duties can be done electronically thanks to email and the internet.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2008
