A new academic study has found that working at home is less likely to lead to work intensification in organisations where there’s a recognised trade union. The UCD report also said unions helped tackle increased stress and other health and wellbeing issues associated with remote work.

Like most similar studies, the report found that most employees favour a hybrid form of working where they work some days at home and others in the workplace. This preference was strongest among workers living in cities and commuter belts.

Just a over a third (35%) expressed a preference for returning to work in the workplace all or most of the time.

The study also found that remote working increased productivity as workers were able to concentrate better, increase their effort and save commuting time when working from home.

But it said this intensification of employees’ effort levels could lead to increased stress, an inability to disconnect from work, and poorer health and wellbeing. These outcomes were particularly associated with women workers and parents of children aged 8 to 18.

The report said unions can play an important role in moderating the more harmful effects of homeworking, but warned that the challenges of protecting a dispersed workforce were significant.

“The advantages of homeworking for our society and communities are considerable: less commuting, less pollution, more time spent with our families and in our communities, and greater flexibility to organise our work around our domestic duties and caring responsibilities,” it said.

Read the report HERE.