It’s not the most original statement of the last few months, but it is certainly apt – “coronavirus has changed everything”.
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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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