The Covid-19 pandemic has seen vast swathes of the workforce migrate to their home offices as lockdown measures have resulted in many workplaces closing their doors.  The migration has been the biggest experiment in homeworking ever undertaken, with the results initially positive in terms of productivity being maintained, or even improved.

Of course, this has long been argued, but it has prompted many to breathlessly proclaim that homeworking is here to stay, that cities will never recover, and so on.  The latest of these is a recent report from Cardiff University, which suggests that homeworking is likely to be a lasting outcome from the pandemic.

Last year the Welsh government set a long-term target to have 30% of Welsh workers either working from home or near to their home in the future.  The study suggests that the appetite for remote working is high, with nearly 90% of those surveyed in June 2020 saying they wanted to continue working from home in some capacity.  This figure had increased to 93% by September 2020.

Maintaining productivity

Workers were equally positive about their productivity, with 41% saying they were achieving as much at home as they would in the office, and 29% saying they were more productive.  This figure also improved by September, with 85% saying they were more productive than pre-Covid times.

Many put this down to the reduced number of interruptions they experience at home, while nearly 30% also said the lack of a commute also made them more productive.  The data also shows, however, that there are concerns about work-life balance and especially around drawing boundaries between the two.

“Coronavirus will have a long-lasting effect on the way we work. Even when social restrictions are fully lifted, it is unlikely there will be a full return to the traditional office setting,” the authors say. “Instead, the last twelve months has revealed a strong appetite for homeworking among employees and has proved to employers that flexible working can bring business benefits.”

The report reveals that the number of workers in Wales that work exclusively from home rose from just 56,000 before Covid to 485,000 by April.  This then fell to 231,000 by September before rising again to 308,000 as further lockdowns were introduced towards the end of the year.

Limited potential

It goes on to say that the potential for homeworking in Wales is limited by circumstances, with those able to work remotely disproportionately working in higher-quality jobs with high skill requirements and salaries.  Across the UK homeworking has been highest in sectors such as finance, where there are relatively few jobs in Wales.  In areas, such as public administration, where there are a lot of jobs in the country, homeworking has been slower to take off.

“Nevertheless, the Welsh Government’s target of ‘30% of Welsh workers working from home or near to home’ is certainly achievable given that it has been exceeded on many occasions in the last nine months,” the authors contend. “Greater clarity is now needed around what precise type of working arrangement the Welsh Government is intending to encourage, how the target will be monitored, and how its benefits and drawbacks will be assessed.”

With growing evidence of “Zoom fatigue” and various other symptoms of stress, loneliness, and burnout becoming more prevalent, time will tell if people will look to stay working remotely or wish to return to the more familiar environs of the office.