Coronavirus: is working from home our permanent future?

I am writing this blog from my office at home. I use the term ‘office’ lightly: it’s an old laptop, a second-hand screen, a mouse and a keyboard on an old mahogany desk in my kitchen, next to the bins. It’s not ideal, but it’s been the centre of my universe since I went freelance just under five months ago.

I have gradually become used to working from home on a permanent basis, and from conversations I’ve had with people I know personally and professionally, it’s still seen as a bit of a novelty. Not any more.

If you’re reading this blog, the chances are that you work in the marketing industry. And that means, if you don’t do so already, then at some point over the last few days, you’ve probably been asked to start working from home. And as the spread of Covid-19 continues throughout the UK and beyond, it’s likely that you’re going to be working from home for quite a few weeks to come.

Now, I’m not going to give you loads of tips around working from home. There are two reasons for this. The first is that there are plenty of blogs and LinkedIn posts flying around giving out that kind of information already. The second is that I am hardly a shining example of WFH professionalism, given that I’m writing this with bed-head hair, wearing trackie bottoms and an old Dallas Cowboys jersey.

I’m looking further ahead than the days and months of this coronavirus pandemic. I’m looking months into the future, when all this has come under control and the world of work starts to return towards some sort of normality. But I’m starting to think that what ‘normality’ will look like won’t be exactly the same as it’s been before.

A lot of businesses are still quite resistant to letting people work from home, for a veritable smorgasbord of reasons. Many bosses still don’t trust their workforces to get their jobs done remotely, assuming that by being out of the watchful gaze of management, they’ll be messing around watching daytime TV or going shopping. Others either don’t understand or want to invest in the technology that can enable effective remote working, and I reckon in a few cases, there’s probably a general inertia of ‘if the nine-to-five office set-up ain’t broken, don’t fix it’.

However, pretty much every office-based business is going to be forced into adopting home-working for the next few months whether they like it or not. And once the initial disruption subsides and everyone gets used to the brave new world they’re in, I think a few people might find it a bit of an eye-opener.

Firstly, the demands of employees for more flexible working arrangements, which have increased in volume in recent years, are going to be absolutely deafening by the summer. Pre-coronavirus figures from the CIPD, the body for HR and professional development, show that only 40% of British employees have home-working options available to them, but that 83% of those that do make use of them. So it’s clear that the demand from employees to WFH is there, but many employers are still unwilling to provide it.

Now, suddenly, most of the other 60% are going to get to experience long-term home-working for the first time and get to realise how great it can be. They can work in their own environment, in their own comfortable space with their preferred radio station on (Absolute 80s, in my case). They can have peace and quiet if they want it. They don’t have to commute, which saves them money and means they can get up later. They have the time to cook a proper lunch. And, as studies have shown, they feel more productive and get more done in their day.

Then consider how working from home will now be perceived from the typical employer’s perspective. Over the coming weeks, so many of them are going to think: ‘You know what? This home-working thing actually isn’t that bad. Everyone’s getting their jobs done, they all seem happier and more relaxed, and the business hasn’t faced the doomsday scenario I was expecting.’ 

And then they’ll realise that with so many people working from home, their big, swanky, expensive office building is empty most of the time, and therefore a waste of rent, electricity bill, heating bill and broadband fees. So as soon as the penny drops that they can downsize their premises and save loads of money, they’ll be flocking towards permanent WFH arrangements quicker than you can say Microsoft Teams (other collaboration tools are available).

I don’t think anybody is under any illusions that the world is going to be a very different place after this coronavirus pandemic has been dealt with. Many businesses will thrive and others will, unfortunately, go to the wall. The ways in which we live our day-to-day lives are going to change, too, and our ways of working are absolutely no exception to this.

I genuinely believe that many businesses will make their current temporary home-working arrangements permanent for their staff. It’s good for employees, it’s good for employers… and it could be bloody fantastic for wider society.

Think about it: more working from home means fewer commuters, which means fewer cars on the road, which means fewer traffic jams, lower emissions and cleaner air. It means less pressure on the rail network, which makes commuting less of a chore for those who still need to do so. And it enables workers to adopt much more flexible, enjoyable and healthy lifestyles, and be able to spend more time (and better-quality time at that) with their friends and family.

Make no mistake: Covid-19 is deeply unpleasant and it is horrifying that so many thousands of people around the world are dying from it. But in a round-the-houses sort of way, it is set to deliver a revolutionary, lasting change that our working lives have sorely needed for some time. 

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