Working from home makes people happier, new research suggests, but more than half of workers recently forced to do more work in the office believe their employer was justified with this move.
Two new studies commissioned by the Fórsa trade union and launched at its conference in Killarney, found high levels of support for remote working and the benefits it brings, with young people the most enthusiastic.
In a nationally representative poll of 1,191 workers, conducted by Ireland Thinks, 74 per cent of respondents said working from home was less stressful than on-site working. Nearly half (48 per cent) felt caring responsibilities at home were more fairly distributed due to increased remote working.
Respondents were almost three times as likely to be “very satisfied” with their work/life balance if they worked exclusively at home compared to those fully on-site (54 per cent versus 19 per cent), with the research suggesting each extra day away from the office makes a person more content.
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The best-paid workers (those earning more than €100,000 per year) had the most access to remote work, with 74 per cent saying they are at home at least one day a week, compared to 27 per cent among those earning between €20,000 and €40,000.
Almost a quarter of respondents said working from home involved substantial savings on the provision of care for children or other family members, with 65 per cent of working-class respondents suggesting the money involved was significant compared to 38 per cent of middle-class respondents.
Young people are more likely to have hybrid working arrangements, with 48 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds working at least one day a week remotely compared to 25 per cent of over 55s.
The young workers said they use the extra free time working remotely gives them to do household chores (70 per cent), look after their wellbeing (54 per cent), sleep more (61 per cent) and play more sport (43 per cent).
Among 35 to 54-year-olds, 32 per cent said they spend more time with their kids.
Those who would have the longest commutes to work were the most likely to be working from home. The research suggests a growing number of people are able to live more than an hour from Dublin while working for an employer based in the city.
This, the Ireland Thinks research suggested, brought significant benefits to local economies, with 49 per cent of those living in rural areas saying they spent a lot more locally and another 42 per cent saying they spend some more.
More than a fifth of those polled said they had been told they must work more on site over the past year, while 9 per cent said their employer’s policies have become more flexible.
Among respondents called back to the office, 55 per cent said the need for increased collaboration was among the reasons given, while workplace culture was cited in 46 per cent of cases. The need to improve productivity was cited in 36 per cent of instances and the need to use the office more was a reason for 22 per cent of respondents.
A majority said they worked better at home. Still, two-thirds of people who were told collaboration was a reason for required returns said they believed this was justified, while a third accepted the office needing to be used was an acceptable justification.
A separate survey of about 19,000 members of the trade union Fórsa found 78 per cent reported saving time on commuting, 69 per cent said they were more productive, and 68 per cent said they saved money by being at home.
Fórsa campaigns organiser Kevin Donoghue said the research shows “remote working works, and there’s not enough of it”.
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