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World desk3 min

What Does Working From Home Mean? Definition and Key Distinctions

Working from home means doing work from your own home, but formal definitions distinguish it from home-based work, remote work, telework, and hybrid arrangements.
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Working from home means doing work from your own home. In formal usage, the phrase can overlap with—but does not always mean the same thing as—home-based work, remote work, telework, or hybrid work. The distinction depends on where the work is done, whether home is the usual or an alternative workplace, and sometimes whether digital devices are used.

How formal definitions distinguish the terms

Everyday conversation often treats these labels as interchangeable. Statistical and policy frameworks draw boundaries differently, so a number about one category cannot automatically be applied to another. The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) describe related concepts, while noting that terminology and measurement vary.

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Term What it describes
Work at home A broad, location-based description: work carried out in the worker’s own home. Its precise scope depends on the framework using it. ILO guidance
Home-based work In ILO statistical terminology, work for which the worker’s own home is the main place of work. Home need not be defined as the worker’s default workplace. ILO guidance
Remote work from home Work performed at the worker’s residence as an alternative to the default place of work. The ILO’s technical guidance defines it as work carried out remotely from the worker’s own residence. ILO guidance
Telework from home In the cited ILO framework, remote work from the worker’s residence that also involves personal electronic devices. Broader definitions of telework may refer to information and communication technology or telephones, and may include locations outside the home. ILO guidance OECD commentary
Hybrid work An arrangement combining remote and in-person work. It describes a schedule or pattern, so frequency matters; it is not simply another name for a single instance of working from home. OECD commentary

Is working from home the same as remote work?

No. Working from home specifies the location: the worker’s home. Remote work can take place at home, but it can also take place somewhere else. A person may work from home without meeting a particular formal definition of telework—for example, if that definition requires use of information and communication technology. The exact boundary depends on the framework.

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The OECD notes that there is no internationally agreed definition of telework. It also points out that frequency, intensity, and timing affect what a telework measure captures. When comparing claims, check what locations count, whether home is the main or an alternative workplace, whether device or ICT use is required, and how often and during what period remote work is measured.

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How official work-from-home statistics are measured

A statistic is meaningful only alongside its wording, population, reference period, and denominator. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) asks in its Current Population Survey whether people teleworked or worked at home for pay during the survey reference week, and how many hours they worked remotely. Its rate is the number who did so as a percentage of people who were employed and at work during that week.

  • The measure excludes people who were employed but not at work for the entire reference week.
  • For people with more than one job, the question covers any job but does not identify which job was remote.
  • The BLS began asking its monthly telework questions in October 2022; its monthly national estimates are not seasonally adjusted.

Using that BLS measure, 35.5 million people—22.9 percent of people at work—teleworked or worked at home for pay in the United States in the first quarter of 2024. The BLS reported the estimate in an article published in March 2025. It is a U.S. figure for that period and denominator, not a global rate or a 2026 estimate. BLS, March 2025

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For newer U.S. figures, consult the BLS telework data page. The agency notes that its Excel tables were discontinued after April 2025, while monthly tables and time series remain available.

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What to check when reading a work-from-home claim

  • Location: Does the measure count work from home only, or remote work from any location?
  • Workplace relationship: Is home the worker’s main workplace, or an alternative to the usual one?
  • Technology: Does the definition require use of a device, telephone, or ICT?
  • Frequency: Does it count any remote work, particular hours, or a regular schedule?
  • Reference period: Is the figure for a day, week, month, or another span?
  • Population and denominator: Which workers are included, and what group is the percentage calculated from?

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