There is a record number of people working from home in the UK, new data has revealed.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has released figures this month showing that one in seven Britons are now working from home. In total there are 4.2 million people in the UK who work from home either full-time or occasionally – this accounts for 13.9 per cent of the entire workforce.
This is the highest proportion since records began in 1998. Around 1.5 million work from home on a permanent basis while nearly double that, 2.7 million, say that they use their home as an alternative to travelling into the office on an ad hoc basis.
However, despite this surge in home working, TUC states that there are still many bosses who do not trust or want their staff to work from their own homes. The group’s general secretary, Frances O'Grady, said: "Too many bosses still don't trust staff to work from home and instead force them to trudge into the office so they can keep an eye on them.
"Employers' attitudes to new working practices must change to make a much better use of modern technology in all workplaces.”
The proportion of people working from home has grown steadily from 11.1 per cent in 1998. The ONS also found that home workers were likely to be well paid and highly skilled; the median wage for someone working from home is £13.23 an hour, compared with £10.50 an hour for other workers. 
