National Work From Home Day

An estimated 5 million people will not be coming in to work on Thursday, 15 May for the third year, running as they conform to National Work from Home Day.

Participating companies include the likes of BT and Transport for London, and with the approval of organisations such as the TUC, CBI and British Chambers of Commerce, employers and staff around the UK are being encouraged to work from home that day, so that everyone can experience the benefits.

National Work from Home Day is organised by Work Wise UK, a national not-for-profit initiative to promote ‘smarter’ working practices – such as flexible, remote and mobile working, and working from home. It aims to give half the working population, some 14 million, the opportunity to work smarter by 2011.

"This is not a day-off to those participating," said Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK. "It’s the chance for hard-working, open-minded people to demonstrate that without the stress induced by the workplace environment, with the often long commute many have to endure, people can be even more productive by occasionally working from home.

The day marks the start of Work Wise Week, running until Wednesday, 21 May.