Have you been working from home? Will this be your future? How do you feel about it?
Who remembers the phone call from their companies 12 months ago? We sat in front of the TV watching the Prime Ministers speech. And then we realised, what we had been planning for the two weeks previous was about to happen. Along with the rest of the UK, working from home was about to become a reality for our team. Some of the team had to be furloughed, physical viewings and photo appointments simply weren’t allowed. Valuations went virtual and the office team plugged their VoIP phones in at home.
When we were allowed to go back to the office in May 2021, it was with both relief and trepidation. Working from home had benefits but we certainly missed each other and the camaraderie, motivation and support working in an office gives.
As restrictions start to ease across areas of the UK, 1 in every 7 businesses proposes using increased home working as a permanent business model, a further 19% of are businesses ‘unsure’. Some big businesses have already announced their home-working intentions including British Airways, KPMG and even Nationwide who will have many of their staff working from and high street branches will close.
It is interesting that reduced overheads, cited by 65% of small businesses, and improved staff wellbeing (cited by 80% of firms with 100-250 employees) are the main benefits associated with increased homeworking. But are they really? A recent BBC news report quotes Rishi Sunak in saying that people are tired of working from home and that some may quit if homeworking becomes permanent. Is hybrid working a better way forward?
The last year has seen the daily commute disappear for many. The degree to which employees return to the ‘office’ will have a significant impact on the property market and the way we live. Also potentially affected by office workers not returning will be the high streets in the way we shop and also the transportation networks in how we need to travel.
If you like to talk about how working from home might affect your property sale, please get in touch. At JDG we are here to help.
Thanks for reading
Michelle x