‘We’ll work from home for as long as it takes’

New research has revealed that 52% of Brits are happy to continue working from home for as long as is required.

However, some 37% admit that they are starting to feel the pressure and 6% admit to already finding this new way of life a struggle.

Moneypenny, the outsourced communications provider, polled 2,000 UK workers, who are currently all working from home, to reveal how they are tackling bringing their work life into their homes.

With the Government urging all non-key workers to work from home where possible, this study has shown that, whilst many have become accustomed to this new way of living, some have had to implement new changes in order to cope with the transition.

When it comes to the workers’ routine, the findings showed that we are adapting to a new schedule when working from home.

Interestingly, almost half (43%) get up less than an hour before they start work.

• 42% get up about one hour before they were due to start work
• 17% get up about 30 minutes before
• 15% wake up 45 minutes before work

6% confessed to having a lie-in, stating that they get up about 15 minutes before starting work, with a further 5% revealing that they get up about 10 minutes before work.

Only a handful of workers (15%) give themselves over 1 hour before starting work.

When it comes to taking breaks, around 46% of those surveyed said they made sure to stick to their normal lunch hours. 28% said they take shorter lunch breaks then they usually would when in the office. 11% take longer breaks. 15% stated that they don’t take any lunch breaks at all.

Some people are finding it far more difficult to switch off from work, with three-quarters (73%) admitting they answer calls and emails after normal working hours.

The research also highlighted that 72% of those people who work from home have experienced a day where they did not speak to any colleagues. Of those, almost a half say they don’t speak to anyone for longer than one day.

The findings also revealed the most popular places in which workers set up their office space in order to create a sense of normality and to maximise their productivity. Just under a quarter (24%) of adults prefer to work from their living room. This is followed by 15% who use the dining room or sitting room. Only 13% already have a dedicated home office space set up at home. Furthermore, 12% use their bedroom and 7% created a makeshift home office.

Interestingly, 5% of workers stated that they do not have a specific space to work from at home, meaning their work spaces are slightly more unconventional; 3% find themselves working from a garden, shed or summerhouse, and 3% work from the garage, studio or attic.