One year on from the first Covid lockdown, nearly four out of five workers are still working from home, at least part of the time, according to research from Axa.
Of those who continue to work from home, six out of 10 (61 per cent) say they expect this to continue beyond the current national lockdown.
The Axa research shows the huge shift in working patterns. Its research found that a quarter of those surveyed (24 per cent) are now working more hours as a result, with 12 per cent stating they are working “considerable more hours working from home”. A total of 36 per ent said they were working broadly the same number of hours.
Despite this more than half of workers (55 per cent) say they prefer working from home and a similar number (51 per cent) say they will miss remote working if they have to return to the office. However, a significant minority are finding the new situation more challenging – two-fifths (42 per cent) say they miss working in their usual workplace. This figure is higher among younger people, with 50 per cent of 18-34-year-olds saying they miss it.
The report also looked how attitudes had changed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The survey, of 2,000 UK adults found people are now more aware of health and wellbeing issues.
Living a healthy lifestyle has become increasingly important, with half (49 per cent) of those surveyed saying they plan to go to the gym or exercise when Covid-19 restrictions are lifted, and a fifth (19 per cent) saying they will do so more than they did prior to the pandemic.
Recent links between Covid-19 and obesity also seem to be getting through, as healthy eating is high on the priority list – almost a third of people (30 per cent) say they’ll be eating more healthily going forward. Meanwhile 16 per cent said they’ll drink less alcohol in the future, and a further 16 per cent said they would ‘keep an eye’ on drinking levels.
The survey also looked at attitudes, with almost three quarters of adults (73 per cent) saying what made them happy had changed over this period. Almost six in 10 (57 per cent ) people said spending time with family and friends is now the most important factor in making them happy.
The report also showed that, once lockdown ends, physical interaction with family and friends will be even more important than before. Almost nine in 10 (89 per cent) of Brits say they plan to spend more time or a similar amount of time with family in person as they did before the pandemic and a comparable amount (87 per cent) said the same about meeting with friends.
Going on holiday is the next most important need in Brits’ post-lockdown lives, with two-fifths (41 per cent) saying holidays are essential to their happiness.
Axa UK & Ireland CEO Claudio Gienal says: “As we arrive at the one-year anniversary of the UK’s first national lockdown, our research shows that Covid-19 has fundamentally changed people’s attitudes to their lives.
“It’s no surprise that so many are itching to spend more time with their family and friends, and this highlights the recent issues raised around loneliness and isolation caused by the various restrictions. While the events of the past 12 months have been extremely challenging for many, our research shows that the pandemic has increased the importance of health and wellbeing, and it’s encouraging to see so many individuals planning to improve their diet and exercise more.
“It was also interesting to see the findings on remote working. Many people have adapted to remote working it’s worrying that a significant number are working more hours than before.
“While the majority of workers will miss remote working if they have to go back to the office, there are also many who miss their workplace – especially younger people. There’s no easy answer to the office vs remote working debate. Employers would be well advised to consider employees’ individual needs and work collaboratively to find a hybrid way of working that combines the best of both worlds.”