One in five employees who are working remotely admitted to enjoying extra time in bed in the morning
As level 5 restrictions kick in, many workers across the country will commence remote working once again. We surveyed employees across the south east to find out how they are working and job seeking during the pandemic.
The Hartley People Working and Jobseeking During the Covid19 Pandemic Survey collected the views of employed adults in the south east to discover how COVID-19 restrictions have affected their working lives and future job prospects.
Remote working
Almost half of employees (44%) felt they were better prepared to return to remote working, as the government raised the level of restrictions.
42% worked from home during the first lockdown. Of those that returned to work on site almost half (46%) agreed that their employer had put appropriate measures in place to keep them safe as they returned to work.
Just over half of all employees are concerned about their employer’s flexibility around remote working as we face into an uncertain winter.
It’s no surprise that work/life balance is a hot topic, with 40% of respondents admitting the change to their working environment has made them revaluate theirs. Time previously spent commuting is now being spent with family members or on a hobby.
21% of those who are working remotely are enjoying extra time in bed in the mornings and 35% admit to eating more than usual as they work at home.
When it comes to missing office life, over half of respondents who are working from home miss chats with colleagues, while 44% are tiring of video calls and longing for a return to face-to-face meetings. 12% admit to preferring work with restrictions around interactions with colleagues in place!
Job seeking and employment prospects
As we continue to live and work within the restraints of the pandemic restrictions, we learned about concerns around job security and employment prospects.
57% are concerned about the security of their jobs, with the highest level of concern being expressed by 35-44yr olds (45%), followed by 45-54yr olds (21%).
Unsurprisingly those who are employed in the retail sector expressed the most concern about job security (19%), followed by those who work in the secretarial & admin (19%) and production and manufacturing (14%) sectors. This is reflected in the marked increase in CVs received by Hartley People over recent months, from those in the hospitality and retail sectors.
22% of those working in retail have experienced a pay cut or a decrease in their usual hours of work, followed by 18% of production and manufacturing workers.
Amongst the uncertainty there is still optimism amongst employees as 48% say they would consider changing job at the moment, while 20% have put their job search on hold while Covid-19 is still prevalent.
