Interview: Andy Lake

ANDY LAKE is a flexible-working expert and a consultant at Flexibility Ltd in Cambridge. He has worked from home for 15 years.

Why has homeworking increased?

Firstly, the increase in self-employment and people starting businesses from home; remember that even Microsoft was once home-based. Secondly, business logic. Employers want to drive down costs and increase productivity. Homeworking can reduce office overheads and help to meet employee needs for a better work-life balance.

How do you know if a job is suited to homeworking?

More or less anything that takes place in an office can be done more flexibly. It’s surprising how many jobs are what we call “footloose” — they can be done anywhere. There are lots of jobs in engineering design or management, for example. I know someone who ran an oil logistics company from a pub in Scotland!