Want less stress? Work from home Thursday, 27 March 2008 Working away from the office leads to lower stress levels in employees. That is the finding of a new Durham Business School study titled ‘Location, location, location: Does place of work really matter?’ The study comprised a survey of 749 UK-based professionals from knowledge vocations such as consulting, accounting, finance and media. For workers who toiled solely in the office, 65% reported feeling a high level of work-related stress. This figure fell to 43% for respondents who worked at home for at least 20 hours per week. Research co-author Tom Redman says: “It seems that working from home is an antidote to the stresses of office-based working.” Home workers were found to have a better work-life balance and be less prone to burn-out. On the flip side, employees were concerned that office absence leaves them outside professional networks and can harm career development. The study also dispelled ...