Staff in Britain pay a high price to claim Europe’s title as the work from home capital

New research suggests that Britons lead the way in working from home compared to other similar economies, but this trend may have negative implications for pay raises and promotions. According to a report by workplace creation experts Unispace, only 34% of employees in Britain are in the office for four or more days a week, less than workers in 16 other developed countries. Additionally, the report reveals that employees who work remotely are less likely to receive salary increases, bonuses, and promotions. About 75% of employers surveyed stated that these rewards are less likely to be given to remote workers compared to those who spend more time in the office.

Unispace’s study, which surveyed 9,500 employees and 6,650 business leaders from 17 countries, is consistent with earlier research from the Centre for Economic Policy Research. The think tank found that British workers spend an average of two days a week working from home, surpassing any other European country. However, Japan, Singapore, and Canada have higher rates of remote work than the UK.

Furthermore, a report by Coresignal, an analytics company, reveals that the UK has the highest proportion of remote job listings in Europe. Out of more than 40 million job postings analyzed across Europe and North America, 29% of remote job listings originated from Britain in 2021.

Despite the relatively low number of employees in the office, Unispace’s study shows that British workers desire to work from home more frequently. Only a fifth of the respondents were content with spending four or more days a week in the office.

Interestingly, the report suggests that British employees are less cognizant of the negative impact working from home can have on their careers, with only 59% believing this to be the case.