The new hybrid way of working has given workers the opportunity to live differently.
A year on from the first lockdowns, we can draw some conclusions about working from home. How do we really feel? This is the question posed in the recent report by Microsoft Surface and YouGov, entitled "Work Smarter to Live Better", conducted on a sample of 4000 office workers in the UK. The new way of working, a hybrid between home and office, has given workers the opportunity to live differently. 55% use the lunch break to focus on their personal lives and 56% reported an increase in their happiness levels when they work from home. However, many employees felt they had to be more productive when they worked from home. Almost 30% reported an increase in their hours when working from home and 53% felt the need to be available at all times. The CIPD (the professional body for HR and people development) recommends four areas of intervention for organisations and HR leaders in the United Kingdom: supporting hybrid workers through good people management; ensuring fairness of opportunities; putting health and well-being front and centre; offering a range of broader flexible working options. Download the report here.