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| © SHARED CONTENT UNIT | Many office workers are now working from home. |
By Jamie Harris, PA & Brett Gibbons, Wales Online
The majority of employees working from home during the coronavirus crisis hope to continue in the future - despite having concerns about motivation, a survey suggests.
According to a study of 4,002 adults, half of people are currently working remotely for much of the time during lockdown, with 39 per cent of these employees not working from home prior to the pandemic.
Among home working newcomers, 68 per cent said they would like to carry on working this way when the crisis is over, while a similar number believed they are as productive when working from home as in the office.
Having greater flexibility with working hours, having more time in the day due to no longer commuting and being around family more are given as some of the most popular advantages to being away from the office.
But many people also admit to some issues from their new environment.
Some 45 per cent said staying motivated was a challenge, while a third complained of too many distractions at home. Loneliness, an inability to switch off from work and IT issues also ranked high on the problem list.
Half suggested a better desk or chair would help alleviate some of these concerns, while a third wished for a private area in their home to work.
Vivek Dodd, co-founder of Skillcast, which commissioned YouGov to carry out the survey, said: "What strikes us most is the level of confidence, 70 per cent of employees across all company sizes, regions, industry sectors, ages and gender, say that they can be as productive WFH (working from home) as in the office.
"This suggests that WFH should be seen as a viable alternative even after the current Covid-19 crisis abates."
The research also revealed that Microsoft Teams is considered the most useful communication platform when working remotely (33 per cent), followed by Skype at 14 per cent and Zoom at 12 per cent.
