A new nation-wide study has examined the general sentiment towards remote-working. The results, announced today, have found that the vast majority of the UK workforce would prefer to continue being able to work from home following the alleviation of COVID-19 restrictions
91% of the general working population would like to have the option of working from home
The “COVID-19 Remote Working Survey” – which was commissioned by Eskenzi PR and carried out by OnePoll amongst 1000 people in full time work across the U.K, found that a third of respondents would prefer to continue working from home either every day or four days per week (31%). Just under a third of respondents are at the other end of the spectrum and would like to work from home one day a week, or less than weekly (25%). However, for over a third of people (35%), the dream scenario would be to opt for a half-way house and work from home for half the week. Either way, only 9% would want to work in the office full-time, suggesting that 91% of the general working population would like to have the option of working from home.
The data suggests there are numerous reasons for this change in attitude, including the time wasted through commuting. Indeed, over half of respondents (54.19%) agreed that this was their main reason for favouring a greater remote working culture. Nevertheless, it appeared that the older the population, the more pertinent this was. For those aged over 55, this was a concern cited over 20% more than those aged 18-24. The second most referenced response was the more relaxed working environment at home (44.92%).
Remarkably, the opportunity to dress down for work attained 38.41% of the poll; ranking higher than the ability to work more productively (35.98%), or the feeling of being less stressed (34%) at home. In fact, it also ranks higher than spending quality time with family (28.48%).
Other interesting findings include:
- Home for Deliveries:
- More than a third (34%) of respondents cited being home for deliveries as a reason in favour of remote working. This appeared to be more popular with those within the age range of 18-24 with 41.98%, compared to those over 55 (24.77%).
- Time with Pets:
- Almost a quarter (23.18%) of respondents want to work remotely to spend more time with their pets.
- Distinctions Between Age Groups:
- The age group that most wanted to work at home were 23-34 year olds (93%), while those over 55 appeared more keen to go into the office (86%).
- Distinctions Between Regions:
- In the East Midlands and Scotland, 23% and 22% respectively, wanted to work remotely every day. Yet, this dropped to 8% across the Sea in Northern Ireland.
For more information on COVID-19, click here.
Content Team
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