Workers want to retain homeworking after lockdown

A new report from 02 Business, in partnership with ICM and YouGov found that workers will be reluctant to give up their remote working after lockdown.

The report, The Flexible Future Of Work showed that forty-five per cent of workers predict a permanent change to their employers’ approach to flexible working when lockdown lifts.

Almost 50% of employees think there will be an increase in flexible working, with a third of  these expecting to increase the amount they work from home by at least three days a week longer term, and 81% expecting to work at least one day a week at home.

Negatives of working from home

Despite this generally positive attitude to homeworking, some 30% of those surveyed by ICM admitted that working from home can be lonely, while 26% miss informal socialising with colleagues.

Talent attraction

The report says that increased homeworking could have an impact on talent attraction. It states that, currently, 62% of employees live within 30 minutes of their workplace. However, according to ICM, if working from home was easier and more common this figure would reduce by half and instead two-thirds (63%) of workers would be willing to live up to an hour away from their workplace. 02 says this suggests that competition to attract and retain staff could intensify post-lockdown, as businesses compete with a wider range of employers from across the country.

The O2 report draws on another survey of over 4,500 people by YouGov which illustrated that if workers had the ability to work more flexibly 41% of city dwellers would move out to other locations, with seaside towns like Margate likely to be popular.

The report says this redistribution could allow skilled people from more disadvantaged areas to access job opportunities that weren’t previously available to them.

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