Working from home has become a new normal for many people in the UK, as evidenced by recent statistics from the Office for National Statistics. According to the ONS, 44% of workers in the UK reported some level of at-home working between September 2022 and January 2023.
This new normal has proven popular amongst the nation’s employees, for numerous reasons – but is it effective in improving employee happiness?
The Rise of Remote Work
Remote and hybrid working is by now a part of the fabric in many industries – but how did we get here? The coronavirus pandemic was an obvious primary cause for remote working becoming more normalised, with businesses necessarily pivoting to at-home working models in order to comply with government quarantine mandates. This was facilitated by significant improvement and innovation in cloud collaboration and communications platforms, which made it possible for teams to work together remotely.
Crucially, though, remote work did not disappear with the worst of the pandemic. Instead, it gained popularity, as the various benefits borne out by remote work became apparent. Not only were workers able to save money on their commute, but businesses also noticed an uptick in productivity amongst remote-working cohorts. Today, remote and hybrid working opportunities are key factors that workers look for when hunting for work.
Does Remote Working Make Employees Happier?
The benefits of remote working are clear and easy to understand, but do they materially translate into employee satisfaction? The short answer is yes, but the details are a little more complex. ONS data reveals that nearly half of UK employees that have worked from home perceived an improvement to their wellbeing, and that more than three-quarters experienced an improvement to their work-life balance.
However, the report revealed another side to the coin; employers initiating remote working programmes were advised to more carefully monitor the mental health of workers at home, due to both isolation and the blurring of work and home – something which necessitates careful thinking about your home working space if you are considering home work.
Preparing Your Home for Remote Work
It is an unfortunate fact of the matter that some homes are simply ill-equipped to handle the needs of the remote worker. The space demands of the home office can be incompatible with the smaller size of certain homes – a major contributing factor to the boost in demand for properties during the coronavirus pandemic. With this in mind, your first step might be to think about moving to a larger home with more space for a dedicated office or working space.
If you already have a spare room in your home or a suitable semi-private space where you can set up a desk, then there are a few simple steps to getting your home ready for remote-work. Communications platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams have become industry standards, with video meetings a key part of that; as such, the space behind your webcam should be clean, tidy and professional. Your space should also be well-lit to reduce eye strain, with both ambient and task lighting.
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