Full-time home workers almost 40% less likely to win a bonus, official figures show

Home workers are less likely to be promoted and get bonuses compared to those who work in offices, official figures show.

An Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysis of data between 2011 and last year found that those who ‘mainly’ worked from home were 38 per cent less likely to get a bonus than those working away. 

It also found that these workers were less than half as likely as their commuter counterparts to be promoted – although the data, the most recent available,  covered the period 2011 to 2017, far before the pandemic struck.

The findings on bonuses especially will fuel concerns that any rush to full time home working would have negative consequences for workers.

An Office for National Statistics (ONS) analysis of data between 2011 and last year found that those who ‘mainly’ worked from home were 38 per cent less likely to get a bonus than those working away.

The ONS data on bonuses, which covered the period between 2011 and last year, found that those who had worked ‘recently’ or ‘occasionally’ at home were 42 per cent and 28 per cent more likely to get a bonus than permanently office and factory staff. 

It noted: ‘The differences narrowed in 2020 after the onset of the pandemic. However, this is likely because of an economy-wide reduction in bonus payments that occurred to help firms cope financially with the effects of COVID-19.’

There was also a ‘wage penalty’ for those exclusively working from home, but a ‘wage premium’ for those who combined home and office work.

Helen Llewellyn, director of workplace mental health specialists Infinity Wellbeing, told the Telegraph: ‘For many, there’s no doubt that home working is more productive than office-based work, although the outcome can often be poor work-life boundaries.

‘Equally, some struggle without colleagues being physically present.’

‘People choosing to spend time in the office are seen as more committed than those who opt to work from home’