In many parts of the world, and in many different sectors, more and more people are staying at home rather than commuting to work.
Opponents of home-working say that being together in a workplace with colleagues is an important part of keeping people healthy and happy. Staying at home, never meeting people can lead to depression. They also say that, from a professional point of view, it is important to spend time in formal and less formal situations with co-workers. Although it is argued that interaction can happen via computers, especially with a visual element such as video conferencing, they don’t believe this can ever replace face to face contact.
For me, the advantages of working from home more than outweigh the disadvantages. Firstly, many workers prefer home working, saying they function more effectively because they can relax, without the pressure and waste of the long commute. With new technologies placing people in the same room metaphorically, it is becoming much easier to do this. With less travel there is a smaller carbon footprint, although this is a claim which has yet to be proved because many people choose to live in remoter areas and car use is not significantly reduced when working at home.
Finally, what clinches the argument for me is the fact that working at home enables many people to join the workforce who would not otherwise be able to do so. This option is particularly liberating for women because they often have more caring responsibilities.
To sum up, I believe strongly that working from home is the fairest and most efficient option for most people.