Almost a third of the pay and conditions agreements currently in effect have clauses about working from home, compared with just 8% last year, employers organisation AWVN has told news website Nu.nl.

‘Working from home is clearly at the top of all the lists in pay and conditions negotiations, for both workers and employers,’ spokesman Jannes van der Velde said. The shift is that of ‘fast evolution’, he said. ‘It is not a revolution, because the phenomenon in itself is not new.’

Many pay deals now include compensation for home working, based on calculations published by family spending institute Nibud last year. Nibud estimates working from home costs some €2 in electricity, coffee and toilet paper.

Trade unions have already made agreements with some employers in the finance and public sectors about home working allowances. For example, national government civil servants who work at home are now eligible for a €363 annual payment.

One issue which still has to be solved is the tax status of compensation for home working, Van der Velde said.