Say hello to the 3:2 week: What a new working life looks like for many Brits in 2022
Two years on since working from home was first introduced for many Brits, new research shared with City PM today shows that Brits have reached an era of balance, as today’s office workers now spend three days a week working in the office, and the other two working remotely.
The new 3:2 week has had a positive impact, with one in two (52 per cent) describing their work/life balance as “much better” compared to two years ago, almost half (45 per cent) state their relationships with colleagues and clients have greatly improved and one in five (20 per cent) are now more satisfied in their jobs.
For those still working fully from home, the research found that in-person contact with peers is a top priority as a third (33 per cent) admit they miss interacting with their colleagues in person, the research from Sky Broadband found.
With our homes becoming a new remote office for part of the week, the way we are living, and working has also impacted where we set-up in our home.
A quarter of us (25%) now have a dedicated office space – where there’s the right tech, seating, and the all-important strong WiFi connection. A further quarter (26%) of Brits still like to sit at the kitchen table, a fifth (21%) on the sofa, and one in ten (11%) admit to working from whichever area of the house happens to have the best broadband connection.
Clocking off around 5.40pm
Despite working twenty minutes more per day, with the average working Brit starting work at 8:20am and clocking off at 17:40pm, compared to 8:30am and 17:30pm two years ago, a third (33%) prefer the hybrid way of work, and over one in four (28%) say they’re more productive.
A shift to hybrid working has seen the nation come to depend on fast and reliable broadband for work, and not just in the traditional sense.
The research found that despite Brits participating in an average of 48 minutes of calls with colleagues, clients, or suppliers, spending 38 minutes sending work WhatsApps, and joining up to three video calls a day, they’re also finding time to scroll through social media eight times, look at online shopping sites twice, and share at least three funny memes with friends or colleagues.
Whilst we’re well versed in working from home now, the research also revealed some of the embarrassing, and unprofessional mishaps, and moments we’ve experienced along the way.
Just under a third (28%) of Brits have been on the receiving end of the now-familiar phrase “you’re on mute”, just under a quarter (23%) have had a work call interrupted by an unexpected delivery, one in eight (13%) has sent a message or email to the wrong person, and perhaps the biggest professional faux pas is that just under one in ten (7%) has witnessed a colleague burp or break wind on a call.
Delving deeper, the research revealed being suited and booted for business is becoming a thing of the past, as four in ten workers (39%) have adopted a more relaxed approach to dressing for work, 23% now spend their days wearing comfy clothes like joggers at home and to the office and almost a quarter (23%) declare that the suit and tie is old fashioned and outdated.
This research of 1,500 UK based Britons aged 18 and over was commissioned by Sky Broadband and conducted by Perspectus Global during March 2022.