Professor Abigail Marks, from Newcastle University Business School, submitted evidence to the House of Lords Home-based Working Committee, which has now published its report, ‘Is working from home working?’

The report highlights how hybrid work models, while offering increased flexibility, often reinforce existing social inequalities and introduce new risks.  

The Committee also received evidence from Dr Wee Chan Au, Lecturer in Management Practice, Newcastle University Business School, who – with her research colleagues – submitted findings to help make home-based work more practical, fair, and supportive for everyone.

The Committee investigated the effects and future development of remote and hybrid working in the UK and found that hybrid working can be the “best of both worlds” compared to fully remote or in-person work, but only if done well. It also noted that not everyone can work from home and access to it is unequal.

Professor Marks, an expert in the Future of Work, and her research partner, Professor Oliver Mallett from the University of Stirling, drew on their expertise in the sociology of work and organisational behaviour. Their evidence helped the Committee to understand not only how hybrid and remote working are experienced by different groups of workers, but also how these experiences might be better monitored, supported, and governed.

Their input was consistently cited across multiple chapters and in relation to key themes of the report, particularly around inequality, management practice, and place-based impacts.

They highlighted the need for a stronger evidence base by requiring organisations to collect and report demographic data on hybrid working, particularly around inequalities.

The two academics also supported calls for clearer Government guidance and stronger management training. Their input reinforced a major theme of the report: that effective hybrid working depends less on where work takes place and more on the quality of management, strengthening the case for policy intervention in this area.

Professor Marks said: “The House of Lords report repeatedly highlights significant gaps in available data.  Our recommendations provide a practical, evidence-informed, and achievable route for Government and employers to improve monitoring and accountability in this area.

“Additionally, our ideas on the role of digitally equipped, community-integrated co-working spaces contributed to the report’s place-based analysis, particularly around how hybrid working can support local economies beyond major cities.”

Dr Wee Chan Au – with her research colleagues from the University of Southhampton (Dr Mina Beigi) and the University of Houston (Dr. Melika Shirmohammadi) – highlighted findings from their work on four major research projects in the UK, US, China, Iran, and Malaysia exploring the effects of full-time remote work not just on individuals but whole families, including school-age children whose parents work from home.

The focus of Dr Wee Chan AI’s submission was on collective home-based working - when more than one person in a household is working from home, often while also looking after children. The evidence highlighted that with the right support and tools, working from home can boost both personal well-being and family life and works best when the whole household is supported - not just the individual employee.

Baroness Scott of Needham Market, who chaired the Home-based Working Committee, said:

“The extraordinary circumstances of the pandemic transformed working from home into a “new normal” for many workers. Effective management of hybrid working is key in allowing people to reap the collaborative benefits of attending the office as well as the flexibility to work from home. If it is done well, hybrid working has the potential to be the best of both worlds. However, due to under-investment in management training, the skills needed to successfully manage hybrid working are lacking.

 “The increased flexibility of remote and hybrid working can be especially beneficial to people with disabilities and to parents or carers, and may help them to work where they couldn’t previously. If the Government wants to encourage more people back into work, then it should look into the potential of remote and hybrid working alongside existing back to work initiatives.”

Press release adapted with thanks to the House of Lords Home-based Working Committee