Tel: 0800 084 3061 | Tel (International): +44 20 3051 2375 Get office space prices
Last updated on

Do We Even Remotely Like Working From Home?

As we approach the 3rd anniversary of the announcement of the first UK lockdown, we examine how working patterns have evolved over the past three years, and whether some of the new operations models are here to stay.

Image of Remote Worker with Childcare Responsibilities

On the 23rd of March 2020, Boris Johnson addressed the UK population and stated that people could leave their homes only for “very limited purposes” which translated to shopping for basic necessities, for one form of exercise a day, for any medical need, and to travel to and from work when “absolutely necessary”, in an attempt to curtail the effects of the pandemic.

Most places of work closed including shops, restaurants, factories and office buildings. A furlough scheme was introduced which protected up to 80% of an employee’s income when the worker was unable to work yet many positions were made redundant in the months following the first and subsequent lockdowns.

People employed in offices were urged to work from home and due to the advancements in technology such as high-speed domestic broadband and cloud-based video communications platforms such as Zoom and Teams, this was successful in many cases and this allowed many businesses to survive during very arduous conditions.

Businesses were relieved that operations could continue, staff were glad that they could help their businesses to survive during unprecedented times, and protects their jobs, and employees relished the freedoms afforded by new work-from-home routines.

As the pandemic progressed over the years, there was very much a stop-start approach to lockdowns, with periods of full lockdowns, less severe ‘firebreak’ lockdowns as well as the unfulfilled attempts to remove lockdowns such as the ill-fated ‘Freedom Day’ of July 21st 2021 where most restrictions were lifted whilst cases continued to soar.

Following such a prolonged period of uncertainty and disappointment, many businesses and their employees became used to a remote workforce operations model.

Many businesses found that they could thrive with a WFH workforce and started experimenting with implementing remote working models longer term in order to reduce overheads such as office rent by moving into smaller offices in an attempt to regain losses experienced during the peak of the pandemic.

And many employees fully embraced the flexible working conditions, the lack of the commute and the ability to spend more time on hobbies and with family.

Many were also finding that they could work wherever they liked, as long as they had a high-speed internet connection, and found themselves moving further away from their businesses headquarters offices to quieter and cheaper rural locations, or to different cities altogether.

A Remote Work Desk Set Up in a Rural Location

Remote working was not a new concept of course – it had been a viable way of working since the domestic internet and affordable home computers were widely available, and many sectors such as engineering, for instance, had always engaged in it, and many tech companies in Silicon Valley operated in this way throughout the 2000s and early 2010s.

Although there was somewhat of a return to the office by the tech companies when the recently-appointed CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, in 2013, put a stop to all remote work at the company by means of a memo to all staff stating, ”Speed and quality are often sacrificed when we work from home” and “We need to be one Yahoo!, and that starts with physically being together”.

Following this, these companies created offices with meditation rooms, gourmet cafes, gyms and many other amenities and facilities in order to placate the workers that had gotten used to working from home.

And by 2018, a survey found that only around 3% of American employees worked from home more than half of the time.

It is no coincidence that it was the tech companies such as Airbnb, Apple, Google, Meta and Twitter that were the first to announce the re-embracing of remote working during the pandemic. Many other sectors followed announcing longer-term plans to either go fully 100% remote or to engage in hybrid working which involved a blend of in-office and remote working.

The Problem With Remote Working

Businesses were able to engage with team members via various communication channels and used platforms and technologies that tracked employee performance, whilst simultaneously saving money on physical overheads, allowing businesses to thrive.

And employees were able to embrace the freedom from the Monday-to-Friday 9-to-5 grind by working in a more flexible way whilst being able to enjoy more time to exercise and engage in hobbies.

The removal of the constructs of a fixed commute was welcomed by many, yet the lack of routine caused issues for others.

Many struggled without the existing routine and to create new productive and healthy routines.

We know, for instance, that solo founder clients of ours, experimented with routines for years when they started their businesses, in order to find the perfect balance of productivity and personal well-being.

And people who lived alone, for instance, felt the effects of loneliness and isolation and had not realised how much the commute, office life and the life around the office routine had nurtured their basic social needs.

Image of a Remote Worker Working on their Own

Loneliness is a condition that is taken far more seriously today by health and mental health professionals and it was reported by The Telegraph in September 2022 that loneliness can be as detrimental to health as smoking. 

And conversely, those that lived with large families or friends struggled to find the space to work efficiently and sought to return to the office as soon as possible or to work in coffee shops or ‘3rd spaces’ such as business lounges and co-working spaces in order to work within a working environment with like-minded individuals.

Some businesses that feared their employees wouldn’t be as productive as they would be in the office were finding some of their employees were burnt out because they didn’t have a clocking-off time to close the laptop and were answering emails at all hours.

Those with children struggled when the schools were also locked down meaning that they would have to juggle childcare and homeschooling with a full working day.

Although many embraced flexible working, many felt dissatisfied once the novelty of a new routine had passed and took part in the Great Resignation, seeking employment that better suited their personal needs.

Is Remote Working the Future of Work?

Thankfully, in the UK, lockdowns appear to be in the rearview mirror.

Many individuals are returning to the office to work in patterns that are reminiscent of pre-pandemic styles. Some choose to do this, yet others are more reluctant to return.

Businesses have had a chance to examine the results of what was effectively the largest remote working study ever undertaken, and the results are mixed.

A small proportion of businesses in various sectors around the world have made the switch to a fully remote workforce, and many have switched to an office-first approach.

However, a large proportion of businesses have adopted a hybrid working policy whereby staff can work from home some of the time and from the office some of the time.

During the pandemic, as lockdowns paused, many businesses allowed employees to pick and choose the days that they worked from the office however, businesses started to determine the exact number of days and which days employees would be in the office, so that teams could be in the office, in-person together.

In February 2023, Amazon announced that it would require all office staff to work in person at least three days a week following the paths of other companies such as Apple and Google.

And, in the same month, Disney CEO Bob Iger demanded employees return at least four days a week come March.

Other companies have completely reversed their position on fully remote working teams to hybrid working or full-time in-office working.

This has caused disillusionment for many employees and tangible problems for others, particularly those that had decided to move hundreds of miles away from head office.

During the height of the pandemic and the periods following, there was a sense across many sectors that employees had somewhat of the upper hand in determining how they would work, and many businesses were eager to adapt to the new styles of working particularly if they both boosted productivity and the well-being of team members.

However, with the ongoing supply chain issues, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian conflict, predictions of downturns across the global economies, and the cost-of-living crisis, the balance appears to be tipping back towards employers.

And in February 2023, according to a study by payroll and HR experts Paychex, 80% of people who quit their roles in search of a better position during the pandemic, regretted the move.

In many sectors, conditions have become so challenging that mass layoffs have been made with large tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Netflix, Salesforce, Twitter, and Zoom making thousands of employees’ positions redundant.

Is There a Compromise?

Businesses and employees continue to experiment with new working models in an attempt to find a perfect solution that helps businesses thrive and improve employee well-being, all whilst attempting to navigate a rapidly changing world.

During the latter half of 2022, however, a pilot study was conducted by the advocacy group 4 Day Week Global, in collaboration with the research group Autonomy, and researchers at Boston College and the University of Cambridge.

61 employers and 3,000 employees were involved in the study that took place between June and December 2022, and involved organisations across the UK, including some non-profit organisations, as well as private firms in recruitment, software, and manufacturing.

The study tested the costs and benefits of a four-day week on full pay i.e. 100% pay for 80% of the hours, and the results have been described as a breakthrough with 91% of the participating firms looking to carry on with the model permanently.

The study found that sick days fell by 65%, burnout was reduced by 71% and staff turnover fell by 57%.

Self-reported levels of anxiety and fatigue decreased across workforces, and the mental and physical health of employees improved.

And companies found that revenues barely changed with some even increasing by 1.4% on average.

Whilst the idea of trying to squeeze 5 days of work into 4 days was seen as a daunting challenge to some employees, the introduction of efficient working practices such as holding shorter meetings with clearer agendas, introducing interruption-free ‘focus periods’, new analyses of production processes, and clearer end-of-day handover process, made the transition successful.

Many employees also self-reported that they preferred to work at 100% for 4 days rather than 5 days at 80%.

With the study proving to be such an overwhelming success, other businesses may now look to incorporate this new operational model.

If it reduces overheads, introduces efficiencies, provides more flexible working patterns to employees whilst also maintaining an element of structure, reduces loneliness and improves well-being, all whilst reducing environmental impact, could it be that the 4-day work week will emerge as the future of work?