Written by Sarah Tomlin

The cost of working from home to working in an office is a topic regularly spoken about by many employers and employees.

So, does it cost us less to work from home? Not necessarily.

The cost of commuting is one of the most visible expenses associated with working in an office. In March 2022 we saw the largest-ever increase in fuel prices. The average price of a liter of unleaded petrol went up by 11.62p and on average employees spend £12.10 on public transport a week. These expenses, whether for driving or using public transport, can significantly reduce an employee’s monthly take-home pay.

However, working from home doesn’t come without its expenses either. Spending more time at home will inevitably result in higher utility expenses for broadband, energy, and any other services employees may use at home. On top of these, desks, seats, network routers, and monitors are just a few examples of additional usual work-from-home costs. Some employers may take on this financial burden, but this isn’t always the case.

Other expenses to consider:

• Childcare
• Eating out
• Food shopping

Taking into consideration these factors, whether our employees work from home or commute to the office, unfortunately, there will always be expenses involved. Only our employees can work out the true cost of working from home vs in the office by looking at their finances.