New research has found that one of the legacies from the coronavirus lockdown is that there is likely to be a long term and permanent increase in home working post covid, a prediction that many were making a few months ago on National Working From Home Day (15th May 2020).
Home Working Post Covid
Research carried out by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), who interviewed 1,046 employers, has found that there is likely to be a permanent and long term increase in home working post covid, with employers anticipating that the number of employees working from home will more than double to 37%, compared with just 18% prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Furthermore, employers believe that the number of employees working from home full time will also more than double from 9% to 22%.
Other findings from the CIPD survey were as follows:-
- 28% of employers believe that those working from home are more productive than those that do not. However, 28% of employers were of the opposite opinion. 37% of employers were of the view that working from home had no impact whatsoever on productivity
- The proportion of employees working continuously from home during the coronavirus lockdown has been 54%.
- 66% of employers will be changing their policy on home working, so as to allow employees to work from home
- 44% of employers will be providing additional facilities and funding to support home working
- 46% of employers will be providing additional management training in how to effectively line manage those working from home
- The CIPD found that: "33% of employers plan to introduce new forms of flexible working or try and increase the uptake of existing flexible working arrangements, including working from home on a regular basis (70%), always working from home (45%), part-time hours (40%), flexi-time (39%), term-time working (16%) and compressed."
In light of the survey, the CIPD called for the right to request flexible working to be made a day 1 right, as opposed to one that is only acquired after 26 weeks of continuous service with the employer. Indeed, the Government is considering making flexible working a default right in the Employment Bill 2019-20, in which employers would have to show why they could not allow it
HubbleHQ Survey
Another survey from HubbleHQ has found that the number of employees who want to engage in home working post covid at least 1 day per week stands at 86%, although just 15% said that they would want to work from home full time. That is, the majority of employees wanted a balance between working from the office and working from home.
The HubbleHQ survey also found that:-
- Employees believed that the main benefits of working from home were the fact that there is no commute (79%), they get to spend more time with their families (i.e. a better work life balance), and they are able to reduce their expenses
- Most employees want to split their working hours between the office and working from home, believing that it is important to retain contact with colleagues (e.g. team culture, collaboration, etc). Indeed, 71% of employees believe that their employer should retain their company office.
The Future Of Home Working
Commenting on the future of home working post covid, the chief executive of the CIPD, Peter Cheese, states: "The pandemic is going to have a long-lasting effect on how we work, with a step change in the proportion of people who work from home on a much more regular basis....However, the advantages will be considerable for employers and workers.....Greater use of home working will make work more accessible and sustainable for all....For many people more flexible working opportunities and choice over when and where they work can give a better work-life balance....However, many employers need to improve how they manage and support people who work from home more regularly and crucially also need to increase the range and uptake of other forms of flexible working so those people who are not able to work from home can work flexibly wherever possible in different ways. To support this wider shift to more flexible workplaces we would like to see the right to request flexible working become a day one right."
The CEO and Co-Founder of HubbleHQ, Tushar Agarwal, added: "The last ten weeks have proven what ten years of change in working practices has attempted – the working from home experiment works...The time to usher in a hybrid office model has arrived, as our latest evidence shows that while the traditional 9-5 office space is no more, employees still very much need and want to work physically alongside their teams in some capacity....Employers that adapt to the belief that one size no longer fits all, and prioritise the variety and flexibility employees demand when reassessing their traditional office space, will benefit from a more productive and fulfilled workforce."
