Working from home and hybrid working statistics

The pandemic has changed our ways of living, including how we work. After adapting during the lockdowns, many people and companies realised that remote work is a viable option.

While we no longer have the same pandemic restrictions, hybrid working has become normal for many of us. Our research found that 38% of Brits work from home at least some of the time.

We look at who is working from home, how working from home affects productivity and the effect of working from home on spending and saving.

How many people work from home?

Around 20 million people, or 38% of the UK population, are working from home at least some of the time. At the height of the first lockdown, our research found that 60% of the UK’s adult population was working from home some of or all the time, and 26% planned to continue after lockdown.

Is hybrid work here to stay?

Hybrid working has become more popular since the pandemic’s start. The number of people working from home some of the time has grown from 17% to 25%, meaning a quarter of Brits are hybrid workers. Permanently working from home is less popular now, reducing from 43% to 13%.

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High earners are more likely to hybrid work

Those earning £40,000 or more a year are the most likely to work from home, with 61% of people in this bracket doing so. High earners tend to work from home more, with the percentage of those working from home increasing with income.

The only exception is those earning between £20,000 to £30,000, who work from home 2% less than those earning between £15,000 and £20,000. Those earning £15,000 or less are the least likely to work from home, with just 14% doing so.

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How does age impact hybrid working?

Younger people tend to work from home more than their older counterparts. This is especially true for those aged 30 to 49, with 43% working from home some of or all the time. 39% of 16- to 29-year-olds work from home, compared to 34% of those aged 50 to 69.

Those aged 70 and over are the least likely to work from home, with only 17% doing so.

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What is the best day to work from home?

Tuesday is the most popular work-from-home day, with 67% of those WFH claiming they worked from home on Tuesdays. However, there is no big difference between each weekday, with people working from home throughout the week.

Being in the office on Monday is most common, perhaps because companies like to start the week off by catching up in person!

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Does working from home improve work-life balance?

In 2022, more than three-quarters (78%) of those who had worked from home claimed it improved their work-life balance. Interestingly, 30- to 49-year-olds were most affected, with 83% of this age group stating an improvement in work-life balance. This may be partly due to the flexibility that working from home offers the parents of young children in this age bracket.

Working from home saves on commute time

The average daily commute time in the UK is 59 minutes. This means people working from home save almost 5 hours a week by omitting their daily commute to the office. As well as being good news for employees, some of this extra time could be spent working – a plus for employers, too.

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How does working from home affect productivity?

Employees generally appreciate a company that allows them to work from home, and research has suggested this could also boost productivity for the employer.

• 65% of workers said they would be more productive in a home office than in a company office.
• 75% of workers say they are more productive due to reduced distractions.
• 83% of employees feel they do not need an office to be productive.
• Two-thirds of employers report increased productivity for remote workers compared to in-office workers.

What are the disadvantages of working from home?

While many believe that working from home increases productivity, the most cited disadvantage of working from home is difficulty collaborating, with nearly half (48%) of people stating that it is harder to work with others when working from home. About 1 in 4 (26%) people are more distracted when working from home, and 1 in 5 (19%) experienced reduced wellbeing.

Surprisingly, 1 in 10 (9%) people found reduced work-life balance when working from home. This may be due to a lack of space between professional life and private life that comes with commuting.

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Technological challenges

A survey found that many Brits have to use mobile broadband (mobile data) to stay connected. With many offices having faster and more reliable Internet connections than homes, the difficulty of an unreliable Wi-Fi connection can be a significant downside to working from home.

• 62% of remote workers want employers to provide better technology that helps them stay connected with their colleagues.
• 36% of Brits regularly switch to mobile broadband to stay online, with 61% saying it has made their working experience better.
• 47% of survey respondents experienced increased stress due to Internet connectivity issues in their homes. 28% have also considered switching to mobile data for important calls.
• 67% of working-from-home employees stated mobile data connectivity access as an important factor when deciding where to live in the future.

How much money do you save working from home?

Back when lockdown was first in place, 60% of the UK’s population was working from home. At the time, 9 in 10 (89%) Brits believed this shift would reduce their expenditure, specifically due to a drastic reduction in commuting and buying lunch every day. In reality, the average employed worker saved £44.78 every week.

Savings on working from home per region

Londoners save the most by working from home, with an average of £57.78 per week being pocketed – a possible reflection of the capital’s high commuting costs. The second biggest savers are in Wales, where those working from home are saving £50.16 per week. UK regions where workers report saving the least are Scotland (£35.47), the North East (£35.65) and the South West (£37.47).

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Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact

• Working from home statistics – 2020

  Quick overview: The latest statistics

  • Our research found that 60% of the UK’s adult population worked from home during the first coronavirus lockdown.
  • 26% of Brits plan to continue to work from home permanently or occasionally after lockdown.
  • On average, each of these workers will save £44.78 a week by cutting out things like commuting and buying lunch out.
  • This results in 23.9 million Brits working from home who are saving around £1.1 billion each week between them.
  • Before the lockdown only 1.54 million people worked from home for their main job. 10 years ago this figure was a mere 884,000.
  • 2 different surveys both found that around two-thirds of employees say they’re more productive when working from home.
  • However, 1 in 5 remote workers have also said they struggle with loneliness.

  

  Benefits of working from home

  Claiming on expenses while working at home

  You may be able to claim tax relief if you have to work from home, for instance, due to coronavirus (COVID-19). Examples of additional costs include heating bills, new broadband connection payments and metered water bills that have increased as a result of working at home. See the government webpage to claim now.

  As a business looking to support yourself during the pandemic, our business loans guides will help you get started.

  Less pollution

  If those with remote-compatible jobs work at home for just half of the year, it could result in saving 54 million tonnes of greenhouse gas – equivalent to taking 10 million cars off the road. The environmental impacts of the UK’s previous lockdowns are not yet known, but estimates for the reduction of pollution in China (as a result of the lockdown) include the below environmental benefits:

  • CO2 emissions dropped by at least 25% in February 2020.
  • The number of “good quality air days” increased by 22% in February 2020.
  • Around 77,000 lives may have been saved due to the reduction in air pollution.

  Working from home abroad

  Another benefit of working from home is that with easing restrictions enabling international travel, working remotely abroad is a very feasible option. A perk for travel enthusiasts is that working from home does not necessarily mirror a “stay at home” policy, which means that working remotely while abroad is possible and a great way to see the world without taking annual leave. Understandably, there is a significant percentage of individuals wanting to take advantage of this emerging perk of the work-from-home shift.

  • 42% of employees would want to use their company’s remote working policy to work from abroad.
  • There is a higher proportion of women who would like to work remotely compared to men (45% vs 39%).
  • 58% of survey respondents would highly consider looking for a new job if they could not continue working remotely.

  The potential drawbacks of working from home

  While working from home may seem an attractive proposition, drawbacks have been identified that could impact wellbeing and eventually, productivity.

  • 30.9% of remote workers say that they struggle with loneliness when working remotely.
  • 22% of telecommuters say that “switching off” after work is their biggest challenge.
  • 62% of remote workers want employers to provide better technology that helps them stay connected with their colleagues.

  Working longer hours

  Working from home alone can also lead to fewer breaks, shorter lunches or just longer hours. Those earning around the UK’s average salary (£29,600) would lose out on £14.57 by working just an hour extra per day. By taking a shorter lunch break or working 30 minutes longer per day, you would be working 10 hours unpaid every month, which is worth £174.80 for Brits on the average salary.

  Salary per year	1 hour overtime	2 hours overtime	3 hours overtime	4 hours overtime	5 hours overtime	6 hours overtime
  £25,000	£12.30	£24.60	£36.90	£49.20	£61.50	£73.80
  £27,000	£13.29	£26.57	£39.86	£53.15	£66.44	£79.72
  £29,600	£14.57	£29.13	£43.70	£58.27	£72.83	£87.40
  £33,000	£16.24	£32.48	£48.72	£64.96	£81.20	£97.44
  £36,000	£17.72	£35.43	£53.15	£70.87	£88.58	£106.30
  £39,000	£19.19	£38.39	£57.58	£76.77	£95.96	£115.16
  £42,000	£20.67	£41.34	£62.01	£82.68	£103.35	£124.02
  £45,000	£22.15	£44.29	£66.44	£88.58	£110.73	£132.87
  £50,000	£24.61	£49.21	£73.82	£98.43	£123.03	£147.64
  £55,000	£27.07	£54.13	£81.20	£108.27	£135.33	£162.40
  £60,000	£29.53	£59.06	£88.58	£118.11	£147.64	£177.17
  £70,000	£34.45	£68.90	£103.35	£137.80	£172.24	£206.69
  £80,000	£39.37	£78.74	£118.11	£157.48	£196.85	£236.22
  £90,000	£44.29	£88.58	£132.87	£177.17	£221.46	£265.75
  £100,000	£49.21	£98.43	£147.64	£196.85	£246.06	£295.28

  Feeling lonely

  5% of Brits during lockdown can be categorised as “chronically lonely”, which amounts to roughly 2.6 million people. Another 14.3% can be described as “lockdown lonely”, referring to those whose wellbeing had been affected by feeling lonely in the past 7 days. Below are the demographic characteristics that are likely to contribute to loneliness, both chronically and for the lockdown.

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  Demographics more likely to be likely	Chronic loneliness	Lockdown loneliness
  Divorced or separated	9.70%	53.20%
  Single	9%	53%
  Adults living alone	13.40%	57.20%
  Rented accomodation	8.60%	38.80%

  Those living alone are the most likely to be lonely, for both categories of loneliness. The second strongest demographic predictors for loneliness are being single or being divorced, which both increase your likelihood of lockdown loneliness by over 50%.

  Sources

  • Finder UK
  • Forbes
  • Gov.UK
  • CNN
  • Ocado
  • BBC
  • ChinaDaily
  • CarbonBrief
  • TUC

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