NHIC Launches Second COVID-19 Impact Survey
Focussing on consumer detriment and the risk of rogue traders, the National Home Improvement Council has launched its second nationwide industry survey to...
Read Full ArticleA new national survey of 2,000 people into the experience of home working shows that 37% are finding it more and more difficult but are prepared to carry on.
The survey commissioned by Moneypenny, the outsourced telephone answering company, showed that a further 6% said they don’t feel they can work from home any longer, while 52% said they have got used to home working and won’t mind a longer lockdown.
Workloads
Workloads seem to be reducing for some, with 24% of respondents saying they feel like work is drying up, while 17% say they spend fewer hours on work each week compared with pre-lockdown times and admit to feeling guilty about this. However, 12% said they are actually spending more hours working than they would in the office.
Working at home also seems to have reduced communication with work colleagues for most, as 72% of those surveyed admitted they don’t speak to anyone from work for a full day and of these, almost a third (32%) said this lack of dialogue goes on for more than a day.
Dressing for work
Lockdown seems to have blurred the boundaries between work and free time, as 73% said they are answering calls and emails after working hours. However, far from working in their pyjamas, 19% said they dress up properly to feel like they are going to work. In terms of getting ready for work, 42% said they get up about an hour before their work starts, 17% get up about 30 minutes before work and 5% get up around 10 minutes or less before work.
No help
The experience of working from home has not been aided by many companies, as more than half (53%) of those surveyed said their company didn’t provide anything to help them set up their home office and only 16% said they received vouchers or cash to buy what they need for this. Only 13% already had a home office set up at home, while 24% are using their living room as a home office, 15% the dining room and 12% their bedroom.
“It’s clear that many companies are relying on their staff having a full home office to enable them to work from home and companies should be auditing the facilities their staff need and providing them.”
– Joanna Swash
CEO, Moneypenny
Still in the office
"We also have research that shows that 1 in 10 UK business are still sending staff into the office to answer phone calls which is not necessary when there are so many tech solutions available that don’t cost a fortune and can help provide efficient communications," adds Swash.
Picture: A typical home office.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
01st May 2020