What: Working from home is not new.

Why is it important: We need to look closely and imaginatively at the advantages and disadvantages of remote work, and we can use some lessons from history to do so.

Contrary to first reactions as companies around the world went into lockdown and instituted remote working schemes, working from home used to be the norm until the early 20th century in today’s industrial countries. The Economist looks at remote working from a historical perspective. In spite of the abuses and hardships involved, it also allowed workers control over time.

The beginning of factories (and offices) around the 1800s increased the time spent at work and crucially allowed employers to control workers’ time. On the other hand, the development of the factory system also allowed workers to join together in trade unions to demand higher wages for their higher productivity. Wages were some 10-20% higher in factories.

How permanent is the shift to remote working from home today? And will it have the same far-reaching consequences as the shift away from home had in the process of industrialisation?

Home-working had its advantages