UK – EMPLOYEES PUSHING TO WORK FROM HOME TO AVOID FUEL COSTS
Posted 21st April 2022 • Written by staffingindustry.com • • • • •
Workers in the UK are trying to persuade their employers to allow them to work from home more due to higher fuel prices, according to a survey from Randstad UK.
In a survey of 2,922 employees across the UK, nine in 20 (45%) told Randstad UK they are having to push for more remote working as a result of rising fuel prices.
While a quarter were positive that rising prices will not make a difference to their working arrangements (25%), another third (35%) told Randstad they needed to wait and see.
Victoria Short, the CEO of Randstad UK, said, “The cut to fuel duty has failed to bring costs down. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the International Energy Agency recommended its members introduce emergency measures to restrain demand, including working from home. Well, workers here are ahead of the game.”
Randstad noted data from the Office for National Statistics showed 68% of UK commuters travel to work by car, minibus or van (ONS Labour Force Survey), a far higher proportion do so in Northern Ireland (84%) and Wales (81%) than in Scotland (70%) or England (67%).
“The rise in fuel prices is a much bigger blow to workers in Northern Ireland and Wales than to those in London,” Short added. “If the government wants to encourage people back to the office and open up city centres, it needs to look at cutting VAT on petrol and diesel.”
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