Over the past year, we have heard about the success of working from home during and after the pandemic. A survey conducted by Hubble HQ to find out if people should ditch the office found that an overwhelming majority of people had a positive experience doing so. An even bigger percentage said they would like to continue working from home even if it is just one day a week. While these are compelling results, one cannot help but wonder if there is more to uncover. In this article, we look at what between the office and the commute drives people to prefer working from home.
The Lack of Commute
According to the survey mentioned, 79% of respondents say not having to commute has had an impact on their preference to work from home. Additionally, there is a relationship between how long a commute was in the past and how much a person enjoys working from home. People with longer commutes had a higher preference for working from home.
Just over half of those surveyed and who had a 15–30-minute commute had a strong positive preference for working from home, while the proportion jumped to about nine in ten for those who lived more than two hours from their workstations.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, a higher percentage of those with short commutes said they had a negative experience from home compared to those with longer commutes — 15.4% compared to 0.6%.
With all this in mind, we see a direct relationship with negative and positive feelings about working from home based on how long a commute is.
How the Office Factors In
Understanding that a commute has an impact on work-from-home preferences, we need to examine whether the office has an impact too. People with shorter commutes are preferred and even necessary for their business to have an office. This is because they are more likely to need to come to the office.
We see interesting results from those with longer commutes. This group prefers to use the office a lot less, obviously, but a significant majority say they don’t see the need for their business to have an office. The reasoning is that, if everyone works from home, the business can operate remotely, with virtual meetings and everything else assisted by technology.
Personal Office Preferences
Those who prefer to work from home, including those with long commutes, also say the ability to create an office space that serves them best is a significant reason for them to continue working from home.
Instead of commuting a few hours to work, sitting in a cubicle for about eight hours and then commuting back, they see gains in time, money, flexibility and productivity as reason enough to establish offices at home.
Creating a personalized office space that allows for full immersion into work serves them best. This can include getting the desks and chairs they have always wanted, decorating their offices however they like and having the ability to control things like the amount of light and temperature.
Additional options like all pitched roof windows are also preferred as they allow light and air to enter the office and create a conducive working environment. Those converting a space to an office and who want more light and air can visit Roof Window Outlet’s website to see what all pitched roof windows are available.
Reclaiming Lost Time
The sentiment of reclaiming lost time is strongest in those who have the longest commutes. Many people started working from home due to the risks associated with commuting and being in the office and, with these risks gone, they still see the benefits of working from home.
Not having to commute every day means people have more time to spend doing something they love outside work, to spend time with their families or to do something that benefits their lives differently.
These people are not looking to flood back to the office and have this time and flexibility taken away from them. With office occupancy rates remaining below 50% for most of the week, we see people are not returning to the office if they can help it even in cases where executives are asking them to.
Financial Savings
It is also worth noting that many people are working from home to save money. 55% of respondents in the Hubble HQ survey above said they work from home for this reason. Total Jobs found that the average Londoner could save up to £14,000 in commuting costs over their careers if they worked from home.
Other savings could stem from not having to purchase expensive meals or paying a nanny to take care of the kids in the evenings as they would do while commuting.
While commuting time has a significant effect on where people work, the office environment also plays a role too. Saving time and money and having freedom and flexibility all factor into these decisions, whether people want to work from home because they do not want to commute or because they love their home offices more.
