The majority of UK employees are struggling with productivity when they work from home, with over half not having access to their own home office. This is according to a survey commissioned by Fellowes Brands, who asked 1,000 workers about their home-working habits.
Only four out of ten people who responded (42%) work from a home office, with the remainder working from their kitchen or dining room (21%), their lounge (19%) or their bedroom (17%). The findings also show that only 32% say working from home is more productive and 30% believe hybrid arrangements make them productive.
Interestingly, nine in ten employees (89%) say satisfaction with their workspace is important, with a third (32%) saying they are up to 50% more productive when they are satisfied with their workspace. To that end, 81% responded that having a “good ergonomic environment” is important to their productivity. This includes a suitable desk, chair and a monitor at eye level.
Productivity expert, Martin Geiger, says that successfully transitioning to a hybrid working arrangement means that employers need to implement “practical strategies” so employees can be happy with their home and corporate office working environment.
“Throughout my career working with some of the world’s biggest companies, one thing I’ve come to notice is that the most productive people all seem to have one commonality: satisfaction,” he explains. “Employees who are well equipped and thus satisfied with their working conditions in both locations will lead to outcomes of higher productivity.”
What Is A Good Home-working Environment?
According to Fellowes Brands’ research, there are many things that contribute to a practical and productive workspace. Nearly 80% of employees say that having access to the equipment they need such as an extra monitor is important to productivity. The same percentage also said that it’s important for their employer to invest in ergonomics.
Access to well-ventilated office space, whether it’s in the workplace or at home, is also important, say 43% of UK employees. Over a third (77%) believe that their employer needs to invest in clean, healthy air equipment to facilitate productivity.
“The modern workspace is rapidly evolving, and with that comes a change in the tools that employees need to be successful and productive in their work,” says Fellowes Brands UK marketing manager, Jeremy Cooper. “As employers begin to design new hybrid ways of working, ensuring that employers outfit their employees for both corporate and home office working will be key.”
Who Should Provide Equipment For Home-working?
ACAS advises that businesses should have a homeworking policy. This is to help employees understand how their employer will help them provide and pay for equipment.
A policy like this also helps workers understand how risk assessments will be carried out, how homeworkers will be managed, how employees can undertake things such as expenses, tax and information security.
