Nearly half want to continue WFH after Covid-19, claims survey
This year’s Home Improvement Trends Report from Rated People has revealed that nearly half of us want to continue working from home (WFH) after the pandemic is over, despite the fact that our home office set-ups are less than ideal.
One in four people who work from home (24%) say they’re embarrassed by their background on video calls, 41% don’t have a proper desk, 22% often work sitting on the floor, and a third (29%) have to clear toys off their ‘desk’ each day before they start work.
Yet despite this, 47% of people who worked from home in 2020 say they prefer working remotely, 43% say they now intend to work from home more in the future than ever before (even if COVID-19 were to completely disappear) and 38% don’t think they will ever go back to working every day in the office.
The research also revealed a change in our behaviour when we’re not working in a traditional shared office. One in six (17%) people in the UK have taken a nap during the day when working from home. 15% say they often work in their pyjamas, 10% have woken up just minutes before they need to be on a call or virtual meeting, and 9% claim to join calls whilst getting on with other tasks like housework, exercise or even going to the shops.
The research found that only 11% of us have a dedicated home office room indoors, with the majority having to use existing spaces in our homes that are not geared up for homeworking. A fifth of us (21%) set up shop in the living room, 15% work in their bedroom, 7% work in the kitchen, and a few people (2%) decided the garage was the best place to get down to business – either for peace and quiet or due to not having anywhere else to go.
Says Adrienne Minster, CEO of Rated People, commented:
“In amongst the challenges of 2020, one positive to emerge is the progress that’s been made around flexible working for so many people in the UK. Although working from home has its benefits, it can also make separating work and home life very tricky. As our report revealed, lots of us are working from rooms that are designed to be relaxing spaces once work is done for the day.
“As we continue to adapt to the changes that 2020 has brought us, we think 2021 will be the year many of us improve our home-working environment – whether that’s building a dedicated home office room in the garden, converting a cupboard, or even just upgrading your desk and chair to work more comfortably. Our environment can have such a huge impact on our health and happiness and sometimes even making the smallest of changes can reduce stress and lift your mood.”
To see the 2021 Rated People Home Improvement Trends Report in full, visit: https://www.ratedpeople.com/
