Back in the 70s Tomorrow's world used to say in the 21st century lots of people would no longer be commuting but with improved technology do much of their work from home and be able to live more or less where they liked to do so.

Now it's here, I see little or no evidence this is happening. The same old offices in Central London have the same old ads in the paper only the hours have crept up to between 40 and 50 a week from the 35 to 40 in the 70s. Occasionally I hear of someone moved from the office to work from home but these are slightly more common than hen's teeth. I'm also not of course referring to the self employed who have always been able to work where they choose, but actual regular employed work where you can take stuff home, work on it and email or take it back. I've looked around for myself and the actual situation seems to be it just hasn't happened.

Personally I have no idea what anyone could or couldn't be asked to do from home, and whether I'm even qualified to do it. I am able to research anything non-scientific/technical, keep account books (unqualified), proof read more or less, put together data into books or directories, and more or less anything else involving paper or data entry. I'd prefer to work from home at the moment if I could, and really wonder if the concept ever became more than a futuristic theory like robot cleaners and flying around on jet packs. I've seen almost no evidence of it let alone any resources available listing jobs offered at home, and have come to believe it's a non starter (however possible or good an idea). Am I right or are any employers really starting to offer jobs you can do at home, and if so are they more than the dubious making toys and similar that conned so many people in the past, or real jobs as well?

Going back to the same period, it was often said that people would only be working a three day week by now due to advancements in technology. Of course what actually happened is that instead of everyone working three days each week we have less people working a full week, the rest are unemployed.

One of my best friends basically works from home. He happens to be on call 24 hours a day, and sometimes has to work at midnight, 2:00am, 4:00am, whenever. He is in charge of the IT dept. for his company, and he has remote desktops set up so he can actually take control of a computer at the office and make it do what he wants from wherever he is. He does occasionally have to go into the office, usually to meet with clients, or sometimes there is an actual hardware issue that must be resolved in person, but I would say that in an average work week he only works in the office for a matter of a few hours. Unfortunately, he generally works a 60-70hr week, even working from home. But at least he gets to work most of those 60-70hrs in his pajamas in a cushy reclining chair, with his laptop in front of him and a game in the other window.

Also, my sister in law has some "work from home" job processing medical documents. She's had some trouble with it, but utlimately I think she's doing well. I don't really know for sure.

There's a lot to be said for working from home, but it can get pretty lonely too.
If I'd worked from home a few years ago, I never would have met my husband or my best friend (besides him).

You're dead right about the three day working Sue, and in the same period when it did happen here the production figures peaked as everyone crammed all their work into those hours when previously and since strung the same work out over five. In some ways little has changed since the industrial revolution, for every new right the workers have gained they've managed to lose another.

Good to see some concrete examples Lothruin, I'd be only too pleased to do 20-30 hours especially afternoon and night work. If anyone has any UK resources as well (if they exist) that would be what I needed to start looking, but if anyone else wants to join the revolution (or start it as I expect) then of course anywhere else in the world.

Funnily enough Skunkee, whatever else I did I've often done a few hours or so at home first teaching then counselling, and the people I see are a lot nicer than many of the bosses I worked for, and especially the lousy customers in the shops. I think if I'd worked in an office more the social side would have been far better, but schools and shops are not the best places to make new friends in my experience

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Back in the 70s Tomorrow's world used to say in the 21st century lots of people would no longer be commuting but with improved technology do much of their work from home and be able to live more or less where they liked to do so.

Now it's here, I see little or no evidence this is happening.

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I live in southern Tasmania and I meet people every day in my business who have moved down here to escape the big city, and because of the internet continue to work from home. For a lot of people it's a reality Satguru. One couple I know, for example, run a wholesale travel business specialising in package tours to Israel. One of my best friends edits a magazine based in Tokyo. Another friend works for a law firm in Osaka, another one translates Russian and among other things does contract consultancy work on Azerbaijan for the US government. They all work from home here in Tassie. It's happening.

I don’t think I’d have wanted to work from home regularly, even if it had been possible.

I found it useful to take work home for a day occasionally. Doing so meant that I could be at home to take delivery of things without having to take a day out of my annual leave, or that I could concentrate on a major task without interruptions.

But basically I always regarded work as the antithesis to life. Working time was time that I had to take out of my life in order to live decently for the rest of the time. I liked to have work and life separated in space as well as in time. I wouldn’t have wanted my home permanently contaminated by evidence of work.

Glad to hear the revolution's started Wajo, as it's on the opposite side of the planet we'll probably have to wait thirty years for it to reach us or maybe I'd have to go there myself! It sounds like a lovely place actually, though maybe similar movements are breaking out on distant islands all over the world where people of a similar mentality have gone to escape.

As I was turned down for so many 'normal' jobs over the years, the vast amount of time I've spent at home has meant I'm able to turn my hand to more or less anything from right here. The technology's improved, I have most things an office has already and have written tons of articles, proof read a book, set up a tiny artists studio and recording studio, have done some accounts for a short time on a portable hard drive and have even as many know had the house converted to a TV studio for half a day earlier this year. I have extended the house in order to do so some time ago, the music corner is upstairs (I was previously on one level) and the tiny dining room has a painting set on the table rather than eating on it. My office is here, which used to be my bedroom, and I also see my clients here. And (partly because the estate is surrounded by greenery) nearly all say how much they like it here, and how relaxing the room is. I've got so used to not working elsewhere (it's been a very long time) and been turned down over 200 times since then I decided it would be simply easier to try and beat the system if possible and exploit the situation I'm in rather than escape from it. I've never really met friends from work except one job where I lost it and lived miles from anyone there so lost touch, so I've never connected work with anything social so have nothing to lose there.

A bit more research and I've tracked down the major facts if anyone else would like to know. Basically there's a site that tells you what to avoid, and then informs you there's no list or place to find homeworking jobs. In fact they are mainly word of mouth, and the ones that do exist are mainly existing office workers being offered home positions. Jobs are rarely offered for outsiders to begin home working. Once those massive restrictions have been put in, what remains is the National teleworking site for the UK, and it has two jobs advertised on it (one is not a job, simply cold calling), so I am corrected 'one job' advertised for data collectors which I have just applied for. Amazingly they offer up to £15 an hour, over twice what I get paid for my casual office work once a month or so.

It appears to be a fledgling area of employment with the TCA (previous site) being the first and only channel the public have to investigate it. Therefore another job I (or anyone with the time and resources) could have is to write the first directory of homeworking employers (they do apparently exist, and offer knitting and sewing, circuit assembly and product assembly, as well as clerical work but wait for us to contact them currently) and then run it as a desk top publishing affair. It's a complete gap in the market, and like Friends Reunited a simple idea that in their case will net them up to £75 million when they sell it shortly, and that was run from home until they needed to employ too many people. And anyone who does it should register the business in Tasmania just to impress the point

Since his retirement my husband has been kept on as an sort of consultant by his employers. He only puts in about 10 to 15 hours a week and does nearly all of his work from home.

I don't want to say much more than that because my husband works in a very small field and he doesn't want to be indentified.

I assume that many 'consultants' might be working from home.

I don't know if I could ever be disciplined enough to work from home.

I worked from home for 12 years. Discipline was a problem. I had to force myself not to work sometimes. I was self-employed though and that's probably different to working for an employer. I used to like what I did too.

Maybe I ought to seriously think about doing that. I like my job, but not who I work for.

I only work part time, but I do quite a bit of my work from home.

At home I dictate reports to a transcription service using my telephone as a tape recorder. My office then faxes me the typed reports and I proofread and sign them and fax them back. Being able to do these things at home drastically reduces the time I have to spend at the office, but, when I am at the office, I have more time to devote to the work that must be done there. So, I find this arrangement just wonderful for my current needs.

When my brother had to be out of his office for over a month they brought his office computer to his home and he was able to keep up with all his work, and he continued to be paid during the time he worked from home.

Being able to work from home is a great advantage, although I'm not sure I'd like to do it full time. I like having to pull myself together, get "properly" dressed and interact with a variety of people, as I do in the office. I'm basically too lazy and lacking in self discipline to adhere to a strict self-imposed schedule and work full time at home where there are many more distractions. Part time I can manage it.

The downside of the ability to work from home is that an employer can expect you to be always available and electronically connected. That can mean interrupted weekends and vacations, and free time that isn't really completely free. Sometimes it's nice to leave work and the office behind you when you leave for the day.

I work from home.. I have for five years. most times when I take a day off i work that night to make up for it. There are no holidays. No weekends. I run an advice service and its basic based on a per client thing. The more cleints the more pay.
For the most part I make 5 to 8 grand a month. so the money is worth it. But I feel most of the time that I have no life

Sounds like hard work, and not possible to delegate there if only you have the answers people need. But on that cash, maybe you'll be able to save up and semi retire early.

On my side I proof read a book for someone recently (which found as many errors as all the other volunteers together), then took a home study course full of mistakes and offered to correct it. The author then said he had two books ready and needed a proof reader for them. I haven't been given a formal offer yet but if he's prepared to pay I may have an extra string to my bow. I find reading/sorting papers and writing my best option here (I used to take in accounts and copy them onto a spare hard drive, but I don't have a spare now) and the freedom to get on with it when I feel like it and listen to the radio makes it not seem like I'm really working at all. I get very absorbed in paperwork and the time just passes as the work done piles up.

The paintings I have done recently are all gathering dust in a gallery, but I now know I have a potential market if I keep painting, which I am and will continue to do. And of course I see my clients but they don't amount to enough to retire on, let alone pay for Lucy's weekly food!