If 20% of the Dutch population spent one day a week working from home it would generate some €2bn a year, according to research by consultancy group PWC into the economic affects of what has become known in the Netherlands as the ‘new way of working’.

If people spend two days a week working from home, the benefits would go up to almost €3bn, PWC says in the report, which was published on Monday at the start of a week-long campaign to boost home working.
The benefits would come from the reduction in cars on the roads – which in turn would cut traffic jams, improve air quality and cut accidents.
Office costs
Home working also benefits companies because they can reduce their office costs and home workers are more efficient, PWC says.
However, despite the positive aspects, home workers also tend to overwork, and they need to ensure a clear divide between work and private life, Karlien Haak, from a union initiative to boost home working, told news agency ANP.
Trouw reports that as part of the campaign to encourage more people to work from home, environmental group Natuur en Milieu is leafleting commuters all week – dressed in pink dressing gowns to emphasis the benefits.