logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2023
23m 54s

Is work from home working?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

Working from home became the norm for millions of us around the globe during the Covid-19 pandemic, but now three years on some major employers are insisting on their employees returning to the office, for at least some part of the working week.

The levels of working from home currently vary, depending on the country and its culture. The Netherlands are looking at legislation to allow employees the ability to work remotely, whilst in Japanese culture the preference for employees tends to be going into the office. So how do we navigate a future where both business and personnel needs are met to provide a good work life balance.

This week on the Inquiry we’re asking ‘Is work from home working?’

Contributors: Jose Maria Barrero, Assistant Professor of Finance at ITAM Business School, Mexico and Co-Founder of WFH Research project Dr Saori Sugeno, Lecturer in Corporate Governance and International Business, Surrey Business School, University of Surrey Román Gil, Partner in law firm Sagardoy Abogadas, the Spanish firm of Ius Laboris, global employment law alliance for multinational companies. Dr Wladislaw Rivkin, Associate Professor of Organisational Behaviour, Trinity Business School, Dublin, Ireland

Presenter: Charmaine Cozier Producer: Jill Collins Researcher: Matt Toulson Editor: Tom Bigwood Technical Producer: Kelly Young Production Co-ordinator: Brenda Brown

(A working from home environment / Getty images)

Up next
Today
Can Brussels crack the gender pay gap?
A new directive strives to narrow the 11% hourly wage gap between men and women in the EU.Around the world, the gender pay gap has been shrinking as women gain access to higher education and better employment opportunities. Though varied hours, industries and care responsibilitie ... Show More
23m 15s
Jun 9
Why does Ebola keep coming back?
In May 2026, the World Health Organization declared an Ebola outbreak in western Africa a public health emergency of international concern. Within days, hundreds of cases had been recorded in the Democratic Republic of Congo, raising fears that the virus could spread further acro ... Show More
24m 37s
Jun 2
Is Portugal’s drugs policy in need of reform?
In 2001, Portugal decriminalised the possession and use of all illicit drugs. It was a move designed to mitigate the country’s public health crisis, which at the time meant Portugal had one of the worst rates of overdose deaths in Europe, as well as the highest rate of HIV among ... Show More
23m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2022
Who benefits most from remote working?
The coronavirus pandemic allowed many people worldwide to work in new and radical ways. It brought some of the biggest changes for computer-based office workers, many finding themselves working from home for the first time. Research from McKinsey Global Institute, the internation ... Show More
18m 51s
Jul 2023
Does work have to be miserable?
How can employers in all sectors of the UK economy get the best out of their workers, retain experienced staff, improve productivity and increase profits at the same time? The principles of "Job Design" seem to promise all of these benefits. It's a process of work innovation whic ... Show More
28m 25s
Oct 2021
Hybrid working
In 2020, the pandemic hit, and the world locked down. Suddenly white-collar staff went from working in the office, to working remotely. But now we are opening up, will people want to return? Hybrid working has become the buzzword of employers across the country, allowing individu ... Show More
28m 23s
Mar 2021
Workplace Design, Post-Pandemic (Back to Work, Better)
Anne-Laure Fayard, associate professor at NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering, was studying the effects of workplace design on employees long before the Covid-19 crisis. Now, she says, the trend of flexible schedules and hybrid offices - where some people come in, others work from ... Show More
24m 44s
Sep 2023
Back to the office
Many employers say they are desperate to get staff back into the office more often, but what's the best and fairest way to wean employees off remote working?As companies from tech to banking grapple with this issue, Evan Davis and guests discuss the productivity pros and cons, th ... Show More
28m 49s
Feb 2024
Would you like to work 'near' home?
Work from home, or go into the office? For many businesses and workers it's an ongoing conversation at the moment.But could there be a third way - working 'near' home?New co-working spaces are providing a place for people to do their job close to where they live, but not at home ... Show More
18m 29s
Jul 2020
How we work now - lessons from lockdown
Zoom meetings and working from home. Two habits which office workers have picked up during the enforced lockdown. But will these behaviours habits stick? Some believe that if more of us choose to work from our spare rooms on a regular basis, this will have profound implications f ... Show More
27m 49s