Definition of a Homeworker

What IS a homeworker?

Remote work, telecommuting, nomadic work, satellite work, work-from-home (WFH), contractor, telework, distance work, or perhaps something entirely different or specialist. Everyone will identify differently with variations of the homeworking umbrella term, but the unifying feature is that a significant portion of the professional’s workload and time is spent away from a conventional company office.

To one homeworker, their workspace may be a dedicated room in their house; to another, a cabin in the garden; to another, a pop-up desk beside the baby’s cot. To someone else, perhaps it’s attending meetings while on-the-go in the woods. Homeworking looks slightly different to every person, profession, and province.

Contemporary homeworking operates within a broad church. Whilst a modern homeworker is still primarily defined by not having a designated company office or centralised workspace, some homeworkers now operate within a hybrid model, blending homeworking with going into the office a couple of days each week. Others are required to intermittently visit or attend meetings in a centralised office space. Similarly, some homeworkers may hot-desk or rent communal/coworking office spaces and studios, and others may be required to attend client meetings away from their usual home office. While there may be some constraints placed on homeworkers by their employers, the key difference between a homeworker and office worker is that the homeworker has more autonomy over where they choose to conduct the majority of their work.