More than 4 million or one in seven UK workers are putting an end to their daily commute and deciding to work from home. In light of this Aviva, a British insurance company has issued some home working tips for employees.
Below are Aviva’s list of the best tips to adopt if you are working from home:
- Have a dedicated room or space for your work: Even if this is just a desk in the corner of a room, it can help to get into a work mindset if you work in the same place each time.
- Remove distractions: If your TV or home phone is distracting you think about unplugging them or working in another room.
- Find out what works for you: Find out what helps you to concentrate like listening to music or working with the dog at your feet.
- Check your insurance policies: Your home insurance may already provide cover if your doing office work from home, but you will normally need business motor insurance if you’re using your vehicle for work.
- Agree on ground-rules with family or other residents: Ensure other householders respect work-time and know whether you can or can’t be disturbed.
- Confidentiality is key: If you are dealing with customer information, ensure any details are stored safely and securely.
- Know when to switch off: There can be an increased temptation to be ‘always on’ if you are based at home. For your own wellbeing, be sure to make time to relax and unwind.
Aviva also carried out an analysis of the Office of National Statistics data which found that Powys in Wales came at the top of the table with 25.7 per cent when it comes to the number of employees who are home-based.
Employees in West Dunbartonshire, Scotland were found to be least likely to be home-based at 6 per cent. Scottish regions appeared the most in the top 10 most unlikely areas for employees to work at home.
- Powys – 25.7 per cent
- Kensington and Chelsea – 25 per cent
- Brighton and Hove – 24.9 per cent
- Ceredigion – 24.8 per cent
- Devon – 24.6 per cent
- County of Herefordshire – 24.6 per cent
- Cornwall and the Isles – 23.8 per cent
- Camden – 23.6 per cent
- Richmond upon the Thames – 22.5 per cent
- Pembrokeshire, Wales – 22.1 per cent
Adam Beckett, product director for Aviva UK General Insurance said:
Flexible working and home-working options are now part and parcel of many people’s lives. Advances in technology mean many individuals can work remotely in a whole host of careers, from web design to tutoring.
ONS data shows there are 31,877,344 workers across the UK, of whom 4,398,874 use their home as their primary work base.
Darius is the editor of HRreview. He has previously worked as a finance reporter for the Daily Express. He studied his journalism masters at Press Association Training and graduated from the University of York with a degree in History.
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