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The Small Office Home Office Workers Report 2020: Homeworking Statistics Revealed
Working from home has become the norm for millions during lockdown and with restrictions on social distancing being eased in July 2020, we 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’s safe to do so. Read on to discover the fascinating insights into working from home our homeworking statistics report uncovered.
The study looked at the responses of 1,481 people to questions on working in home offices and small offices.
Executive Summary
- Pre-lockdown, 29% were already working from home
- Post-lockdown, 32% said they would now be working from home everyday
- 22% work outside of usual office hours when working from home
- 50% admit to getting more work done when using a home office
- 54% say they’re happier WFH compared to 18% who prefer to be in a traditional office environment
- When WFH, 42% feel they have a good work-life balance. 24% say it can help them work around friends and family with 40% admitting it gives them more flexibility with their time
- 58% say they never feel lonely when working from home, 14% say they often feel lonely when WFH and just 1% always feel lonely when they’re WFH
- 60% enjoy WFH and just 1% dislike it
- Windows that can open is what UK workers (55%) look for most in an office environment
Homeworking in the Wake of COVID-19
According to ONS figures released in March 2020, of the 32.6 million in employment, around 1.7 million people reported working mainly from home. As the coronavirus pandemic swept through the UK, the Government introduced lockdown measures that dramatically changed the way in which office workers worked.
Millions were forced to work from home (WFH) meaning that new means of video conferencing and communication were necessary, temporary workstations set up in households all over the country and a huge shift from the usual social interaction you’d previously enjoy in and office environment.
In the five years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, UK workers were starting to WFH more. This is something Cartridge People uncovered in its 2016 Small Office Home Office Workers Study.
From the respondents we surveyed in June for our 2020 study, we found that 29% had been WFH prior to lockdown. Moving forward, beyond lockdown and as the UK returns to some kind of “normality”, 32% will look to WFH every single day.
Homeworking and Productivity
It’s been a long-standing argument from homeworkers that WFH allows them to get more done and this is supported by what our study has found. We can reveal that 50% believe they get through more work at home than they would do if they were in the office. This is in stark contrast to just 13% who feel they are less productive at home. Incidentally 13% also feel easily distracted when WFH.
Despite seemingly getting through a greater amount of work at home without the interruptions of a regular office, it would seem that doesn’t mean a shorter working day for homeworkers. Our study has found that 22% will work outside of usual office hours. 38% manage to keep within the usual 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday routine when WFH.
Home Office vs Actual Office
We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in huge changes for all of us not just in a work context but also for families trying to juggle homeworking with homeschooling and childcare. What WFH can bring UK workers is flexibility to try and work around their personal circumstances. This has been highlighted by our findings.
When thinking about their work-life balance when WFH, 42% said they feel they have a good balance. According 40% in our study, WFH allows them to be much more flexible with their time and 24% agree that WFH can allow them to work around friends and family.
This flexibility is obviously helped by the lack of a commute. A TUC analysis in November 2019 found that getting to and from work was taking 59 minutes on average, up five minutes from a decade ago. Speaking about the analysis, Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, said: “We’re now spending a whopping 221 hours a year going to and from work – valuable time which could be spent with family and friends.”
Getting 221 hours a year back by WFH could be a major driver for those looking to make WFH the norm going forward.
Loneliness and Homeworking Statistics
An issue for millions in the UK whether you’re in work or not is loneliness with lockdown and social distancing measures having been put in place since March. We asked people about what impact WFH can have on someone feeling lonely.
Surprisingly, 58% said they never feel lonely when WFH. This could be as a result of the technology available and software such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams enabling workers to regularly “meet” with colleagues and bosses. That being said, 14% did say that they often felt lonely when WFH and this could become an issue as WFH continues for the foreseeable future for some businesses and with some companies even looking at the possibility of a complete switch to remote working.
Loneliness can negatively impact a workers state of mind and therefore it will be important for employers to look after those who are feeling isolated without the day-to-day interaction with colleagues.
Our survey found that 12% will be looking to get back to a regular office environment once it’s safe to do so. It’s telling that WFH isn’t maybe seen as a “bad” alternative but simply not something that would be preferred by employees. Our study found that just 1% disliked WFH, again maybe a number that is small due to the relative ease in which office workers can switch to a remote location. 60% say they’re actually enjoying WFH at the moment.
What do UK workers want in their place of work?
As part of our study, we also asked what UK workers would look for in an ideal office environment. We found that top of people’s workplace wishlist were windows that opened (55%)! Perhaps this is a revealing insight into the lack of air and natural light many currently lack in their current office and maybe even an indication that UK workers won’t want to feel “cooped up” on their return.
Plants and flowers (40%) and separate eating areas (39%) were second and third when it comes to what we want. Chill out zones (32%) and a fully working kitchen to prepare food (28%) made up the top five.
Interestingly, 15% would like stand-up desks in their office, something that has become more common in recent years as many have looked to combat any potentially negative impacts, physically, of being sat down all day.
In Conclusion…
In what’s been an unprecedented time for UK office workers, our findings illustrate the changing perceptions around where people will prefer to work post-COVID-19. The conversation around WFH has been accelerated by the lockdown and now businesses are being forced to look more at the office environment they had in place before lockdown and now try to work with their staff to help them stay safe first and foremost, and of course productive.
Additional Comments
“Cartridge People’s ‘Small Office Home Office Report’ has uncovered how the traditional UK office may be a thing of the past following the COVID-19 pandemic. With such a huge shift to homeworking during lockdown, it’s clear to see that many are starting to view this as the new norm and businesses may need to prepare themselves for employees looking for more flexibility in working from home. This may include covering extra costs such as printing at home where people will no longer have the traditional office machine to rely upon. It will be interesting in the months ahead to see how habits change and whether the ‘remote office’ replaces that office that so many of us have become accustomed to over the years.”
John Flanagan, Managing Director, Cartridge People.
“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.”
Claire Conlaund, Managing Director at The Skills Network.
Information for Journalists
The dataset from our study is also available on request.
About Cartridge People
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