A recent study by the Office of National Statistics in the UK reveals that your likelihood of working from home is directly related to the extent of your income. The study found that only 6% of lower income households reported to be working from home between 27 April and 8 May 2022, compared to 12% for middle wage-earners, and 23% for higher wage-earners (£40,000 or more).

You could be 5x less likely to be able to hybrid work if you’re on a lower income than those who reported being on higher incomes

The breakdown for those reporting to now be hybrid working followed a similar patten with only 8% of lower income workers (up to £15,000) saying the new approach to work applied to them, compared to 38% for higher wage-earners. This means you could be nearly 5x less likely to be able to hybrid work if you’re on a lower income than those who reported being on higher incomes. This new study gives evidence to what some have argued for a while whereby the working home lifestyle and flexibility that many have enjoyed is now only afforded to the well-off.

This latest report gives us an up to date understanding of how businesses are reacting to employee expectations from existing studies. Apple have recently u-turned on the matter, after just this month (May 2022) a group of Apple employees published a letter calling on the Apple executive team to allow for a hybrid and flexible work schedule. The letter went on to argue that forcing employees to return to the office '“will make Apple younger, whiter, more male-dominated, more neuro-normative, more able-bodied”.

Another recent high-profile incident has cast doubt that working from home can maintain its prominence as Tesla CEO Elon Musk has allegedly demanded that Tesla employees must return to the office for in-person work at least 40 hours per week or they'll be let go.

News of the policy was disclosed in a series of leaked emails Musk sent.

"Anyone who wishes to do remote work must be in the office for a minimum (and I mean *minimum*) of 40 hours per week or depart Tesla. This is less than we ask of factory workers," Musk wrote.

The billionaire has been critical against remote working and employees work ethic in the past. Adding to the list of multi-million (or billion) business owners and CEOs who are pushing against employee wishes.

The study shows the proportion of workers hybrid working has risen by 84% in 3 months

The ONS study also provides plenty of insights into the rise in hybrid working, as we all look to start living life after COVID. The study shows the proportion of workers hybrid working has risen by 84% in 3 months, “from 13% in early February 2022 to 24% in May 2022.” They also show that the proportion of workers now working exclusively from home has fallen by 36%, “from 22% to 14% in the same period.” (Source: ONS)

The best profession to be in for working from home is information and communication

It’s not just how much you earn that could determine the likelihood of being able to work from home, or even enjoy a new hybrid working approach. The ONS study also shows that the weighting by industry varies massively, with ‘construction' being the least likely, compared to the best profession to be in for working from home, which is information and communication.

Ultimately, the conclusion from this study seems to be that if you want to work from home, you’re better off working for a company with a large corporate infrastructure in the information and communication industry. That way, you’ll have a greater chance of convincing your employer to allow you to work remotely. But the important thing to remember here is that companies with a smaller corporate infrastructure actually see more productivity and higher levels of engagement at the office— they just aren’t as flexible when it comes to remote work. You can’t have one without the other. So where do you fall on that scale? And what are some ways that you can convince your boss to let you work remotely?

Click here for the full Office of National Statistics study (May 2022), and here for our roundup of working from home statistics.