It’s not the most original statement of the last few months, but it is certainly apt – “coronavirus has changed everything”.
Almost as unoriginal, is the statement that we’ve got to get used to the “new normal”, and that again is also no less appropriate. This week we take a look at some numbers that have come out of various surveys to demonstrate how home working has worked, and what might these numbers say about the future of work.
69%
A study in May showed that 69% of British adults were working from home at some point. That’s not a surprise, but to put that in context – just 9% of respondents were doing so pre-Covid (and even fewer were working from home full-time). That’s a 776% increase. 68% of respondents in May also expected that remote working would carry on for some time to come.
9 in 10
Remote working is also increasingly appealing with 87% open to the idea of it forming at least part of their working week. 21% said they would prefer it permanently.
57%
It seems that the main stumbling block for full or partial adoption of remote working comes from the top. 57% of senior leaders say that they prefer traditional ways of working, while 64% of employers are worried about employee productivity.
2 / 5
In contrast to the above number – 44% of UK businesses are planning on reducing their office space – most suggesting that they will move to a hybrid of in-office and home working.
2,500,000
In June the staff at Nationwide Building society made 2,500,000 video calls via Microsoft Teams. That’s 3,000% more than pre-lockdown.
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