Pandemic Could Drive Long-Term Shift to Home-Based Working

The surge in home-based working looks set permanently to reshape the lifestyles of millions of workers around the world. Many employees are ready to embrace home-based working after the pandemic, according to a new Consumer Insights study from Strategy Analytics.

This report presents key findings on changing work patterns and attitudes from more than 5,000 consumers across the US, Germany, UK and China. 80-90% of respondents who have been working from home during the pandemic said they like doing it, and less than 20% of all employees said that they would be unhappy if their employer made working from home compulsory.

The latest Covid-19 behavior tracking survey reveals widespread enthusiasm for home working and a desire to continue with this “new normal” as economies restructure after the crisis. The complimentary report, “Working From Home Before and After the Pandemic,” suggests that businesses, public bodies and employers in general should prepare to plan for significant changes in many aspects of home and work relating to travel, expenditure patterns, time allocation and lifestyle priorities.

Current Feelings about Working From Home (Source: Strategy Analytics Consumer Insights Practice)

The research also found that the proportion of permanent employees who work from home at least regularly increased by between 92% (US) and 245% (China) during the pandemic. In addition, if employers made working at home compulsory in future, less than 20% of employees would be unhappy about this. In the US, Germany and the UK, the biggest concern about working from home is the inability to communicate with peers and feeling isolated. Chinese employees, by contrast, are most worried about not having the work equipment at home.

David Mercer, VP and Principal Analyst, said: “All the evidence suggests that, in spite of all the challenges posed by the pandemic, many employees have discovered that home working offers significant quality of life improvements and are keen not to lose those benefits as economies emerge from the crisis.”

Arleen Denque, VP, Consumer Insights Practice, added: “Employers need to understand the impact of widespread home working on their established business practices, and brands also need to identify the challenges and opportunities presented by these substantial changes in work environments and lifestyles.”

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