Working from home has become a growing trend in the UK, but insurance professionals are either not too keen on telecommuting or are not given the chance to do so.
These are among the findings of the newest analysis published by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which revealed that the number of employees who usually work from home has increased by 19% over the past 10 years.
According to the TUC analysis, 1,521,000 employees across all industries or 5.7% of the workforce regularly worked from home in 2015, up from 1,280,000 in 2005.
Among the 18 industries analysed by the TUC, the least home-working sectors included finance and insurance, where 4.5% of the workforce or 53,000 employees regularly telecommuted in 2015.
The industries with the highest share of home workers were agriculture, forestry and fishing (24.6% of the workforce); information and communication (16.7%) and construction (11.8%).
The TUC said employers are not keeping up with the demand despite the increase in home working.
A government study also showed that four million UK workers would like to work from home for some week days but are not given the opportunity, the TUC added.
The federation is urging businesses to let their employees work from home, enabling them to save time and money and have increased flexibility and better work-life balance.
"Modern home-working is good for the economy, as it helps businesses hold on to talented staff and boosts productivity. And it allows those with caring responsibilities or a disability greater access to the jobs market,” said TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady.
"While home-working may not work in all professions, I would urge employers to look at the value it can bring to their business and their workforce."
