Working from home has entrenched inequality – how can we use it to improve lives instead? | John Harris

Many tech companies have embraced home and hybrid work, such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Spotify etc. Something similar is happening in the financial sector.

Trade unions are working on templates for home working agreements to minimise the risk of isolation and health and safety risks from working in an unsuitable environment. The least focus is on the inequality, what work involves, and how companies try to offload responsibility on individuals.

• Studies show that only a minority are able to work from home.
• WFH may take away human interaction from some people.
• Not being in an office may cut one from the collective workplace experiences.
• Gender roles. American research showed that 79% of men experienced "positive work effectiveness" compared with 37% of women.
• WFH also increase the average working day by 8.2%,
• Computer surveillance.

However, the real problem is that employers have built a model of home working on workplace cultures.