Andy Burnham’s working from house legal guidelines ‘wanted’ as new research finds employees ARE handled unfairly
A new study has found that workers described as working from home received less promotion opportunities, with Andy Burnham set to make new rules for those who do work from home
PM Andy Burnham has spoken about the need to protect those who work from home(Image: Oli Scarff/PA Wire)
Workers who spend their days at home are less likely to be promoted or recommended as doing well, a study has found. New research led by King’s Business School has found that workers described as spending most of the week at home are most likely to receive lower promotion or appointment ratings than those who work solidly from the office.
The study found the bias against homeworking continues, despite Andy Burnham pushing to make flexible working more the norm in the UK.
Under new UK Government plans, it is set to become easier to work from home. Earlier this week, First Secretary of State Louise Haigh told the annual Trade Union Congress (TUC) that the government would make it tougher for employers to prevent staff from working from home.
More should be done to assist those with additional responsibilities (stock)(Image: Getty Images/Johner RF)
Companies will have to provide reasons as to why they may refuse a home working request, with the government pushing employers to try and accommodate those who need extra help.
But the new study has shown there is still a way to go with a “clear evidence” against homeworking found in both the UK and Germany.
The researchers analysed almost 13,000 assessments made by around 5,300 employed people in the UK and Germany during the second half of 2023.
It found that candidates described as working from home received lower ratings in both countries, with the penalty significantly greater at three or four days a week than at one or two.
Employers will have to give full reasons if they want to turn down a WFH request (stock)(Image: Getty Images)
Mothers were penalised least, while fathers and workers without children generally experienced larger declines in ratings. Working from home one or two days a week did not significantly reduce ratings for mothers in either country, or for childless women in Germany.
But it also found that in the UK, mothers already received relatively low office-based ratings, particularly compared with childless women, so homeworking caused less additional damage than that which they suffer already.
Men, on the other hand, start off at a higher position and therefore have more to lose when working from home.
Louise Haigh has announced more support should be offered(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
In Germany, systems seem to provide more protection. The penalty attached to homeworking one or two days a week was significantly smaller than in the UK, but at three or four days the difference between the countries was no longer significant.
The report reads: “For HR teams, the findings raise an important distinction between offering flexibility and making it safe to use. They also prompt organisations to examine whether workplace evaluations reward results or physical visibility.”
