The Work from Home Games

Fears of Olympic travel chaos have scared would-be commuters into working from home and turned London into a “ghost town,” reports The Daily Mail. And the subsequent lack of people in the capital is hitting businesses hard.

An estimated 1.5 million people are working at home during the London 2012 Olympic Games. Civil Servants and City bankers are amongst those taking advantage of a “stayaway policy” which emerged in the advent of the games as bosses feared travel chaos. But some retailers are complaining that parts of London have been turned into “ghost towns”, with fewer workers buying lunches, getting cabs and doing a bit of shopping.

Some economists have warned that many people are less productive at home, especially with distracting events on the telly.

A recent survey of 1,012 US office workers found that 43 percent had watched TV or a movie while officially working from home. Other practices admitted by repsondents claiming to work from home included:

• Doing household chores (35%)
• Having a nap (26%)
• Playing video games (20%)
• Having an alcoholic drink (24%)