Cartridge People, the online cartridge retailer, launched the small office home office workers study to look into how habits may change for UK office workers following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Working from home has become the new normal for millions during lockdown and with restrictions on social distancing being eased slowly, Cartridge People said they were keen to find out how UK workers had found the adjustment to working remotely and whether they would indeed go back into their usual place of work once it is safe to do so.
The study looked at the responses of 1,481 people to questions on working in home offices and small offices.
Only 18% now prefer the traditional office environment and this could mean a significant change for employers who may become inundated with requests to carry on homeworking. According to the study, carried out Cartridge People, only 13% confessed to feeling easily distracted when working from home. The added flexibility of remote working is highlighted by the 22% of people who work outside of office hours. In fact, only 38% keep to the 9 am-5 pm traditional routine of office life.
In the past, remote working could be viewed as problematic for those who suffer from loneliness. However, the advances in technology and changes to the way meetings can be held could be the reason why 58% say they never feel lonely when working from home. That being said, the report did find that 14% often felt lonely and this will be a concern for workers who may have heard rumours of their business becoming fully remote working once lockdown is over.
Commenting on the findings, Claire Conlaund, Managing Director at The Skills Network, said: “The research clearly shows that staff can find some real value in working from home, especially around their time management and self-worth. When restrictions ease, businesses should speak to their staff and discuss how potentially introducing more flexible working arrangements could benefit them, from both a wellbeing and productivity point of view (extending these benefits post-lockdown).
“Businesses need to keep a close eye on the wellbeing of those staff working remotely, and really level up their approach to line management, mental health awareness and staff resilience.”
The study also revealed that just 1% actually disliked homeworking, again maybe a number that is small due to the relative ease in which office workers can now switch to a remote location. 60% said they actually enjoy working from home at the moment.
For the further details about the results of the study, please click here.
