New Remote Working Study Indicates People Are Keen To Improve Their Home

At Atkinsons Residential, we have seen how working practices have changed in the past year. We have been affected as a business, and of course, as we operate in the property market, we have seen the significant impact on the market.

We speak with local buyers and vendors, and we’ve seen the changes people have made to their lives. This has been reflected in people’s decisions in the housing market.

We also stay in touch with the latest studies on how people are dealing with remote working, and how this will affect the housing market.

Remote working is here to stay

The study conducted by Aviva highlights the following findings:

· 34% of homeworkers currently use an office inside their property

· 43% plan to use an office inside their home in the future

· The number of people who currently work in an outbuilding or converted shed is 10%, but expected to rise to 13%

Some of the ways people are working from home include:

· 48% are using tables in rooms designed for another use

· 22% are using sofas and armchairs

·14% are working from their bed

· 31% of homeworkers aged under 25 have said they work from their bed on occasions

Many people will continue to work remotely

ONS data indicated 46.6% of people employed in the UK worked from home in April of last year. 86% of these people were working remotely because of the pandemic, which equates to 13 million people.

Aviva carried out a study in autumn last year, and they found many people considered remote working as a positive aspect. The study spoke to close to 1,400 professionals who were working remotely. The study found:

· 48% of respondents said it was less stressful than their standard working practice

· 57% benefitted from the lack of commuting

· 29% enjoyed more time with their family

· 42% said they enjoyed not worrying about what they had to wear

· 19% of respondents said they found working from home more stressful

· 27% of respondents said they don’t have a suitable space to work

· 19% felt they were competing with others for space

· 18% of respondents said it was too noisy at home

Gareth Hemming, MD, Personal Lines, Aviva, says: “Flexible working and home-working practices have been around for some time, but they have really come into their own in the last year. Many employees report they have been less stressed and more productive as a result of working from home. They have had the flexibility to work around their personal lives and they have been trusted to work in a way that suits them.”

Gareth also said; “While home-working is not the choice of every individual, we are likely to see more flexibility as a basic benchmark for the future, with many people working remotely, at least some of the time. Many insurance providers adapted their home products during the pandemic to allow people to work from home without making any changes to their policies, but if customers are unsure about their cover, they should speak to their insurer to check that it is suitable for their circumstances.”

If you are looking for guidance or assistance in the Enfield property market, we can help. At Atkinsons Residential, we are estate, land and letting agent specialists, and we look forward to assisting you as best we can. If you would like to arrange a property valuation, please call us on 020 8366 0261, while you can contact us on 020 8342 1234 for all letting enquiries.