New research from Vodafone has proved just how much we value time spent with colleagues with over forty percent (40%) of workers claiming they miss spending time with their workmates and office jokes and light-hearted chat (41%) the most, as working from home becomes the new norm.
Under the new restrictions enforced by the government, most Brits have experienced a dramatic change in their working environment and daily routine. Over one third (35%) of those surveyed said they miss having the company that colleagues bring and bouncing ideas off one another (30%). One fifth (19%) miss the grown-up conversation that working in an office brings.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. 51% of Brits say the most valuable thing to come out of working from home is the extra time they are claiming back as a result of not commuting. One third (37%) say they are enjoying a lie- in and being able to spend more time with their pets (20%).
As well as our working routines changing, so too have the demands on the tech we rely on, with almost half (44%) unsurprisingly claiming that home broadband is the most valuable piece of tech used while working from home. One third (33%) find the likes of Slack & Skype the most useful applications to use to help keep them in touch whilst working remotely. Video conference calling (29%), audio conferencing calling (22%) and streaming services (20%) are amongst the other most treasured apps that respondents value as they fight to adapt to a new kind of normal.
Despite 61% of UK workers claiming they are just as productive working from home, over one quarter (27%) worry about their boss, clients and colleagues thinking they’re not working, followed by other concerns that they may miss meetings and deadlines (13%). Thankfully, one thing Brits haven’t had to worry about are tech issues, with over four-fifths (88%) of respondents claiming they have not experienced any tech-related problems since the government’s working from home order was enforced.
The findings also revealed that almost one third (29%) of Brit’s bank balances are benefiting from them working from home with money being saved rather than splurged on coffee or buying lunches every day. Instead 17% are using the time to make more interesting lunches.
Vodafone is offering 30-days unlimited free data to half a million other Pay Monthly customers, not already on unlimited data plans. Customers can access the offer through Vodafone’s VeryMe rewards scheme available through the My Vodafone App**.
Top 10 things we miss about the office
- Office jokes (41%)
- Colleagues (40%)
- Having company around me (35%)
- Routine (32%)
- Bouncing ideas off each other (30%)
- The office buzz to motivate me (22%)
- Collaborating with others (21%)
- Learning from others & grown up conversation (17%)
- The commute (9%)
- Watercooler gossip (8%)
