Do you need help with your Changing Work Patterns?

As the halfway mark of 2020 approaches, it is fair to say for most people, if not everyone, what an unexpected and difficult time we find ourselves in. As we are now beginning to stabilize from a distressing few months with the sudden hit of the COVID-19 pandemic, we can start to look into what the future may hold for the nation’s workforce.

As lockdown restrictions in the UK are set to be relaxed in the next few weeks, many businesses are set to resume in some sort of capacity. Having a brief insight into a few industries that have managed to stay open, we can take a look into particular working strategies companies have used over the past weeks in order to keep their staff safe whilst being as efficient as possible with their daily duties.

With thousands of businesses brought to a stop in mid-March, only a select percentage of key workers continued through the toughest period in recent history. A key focus on working strategies were put in place by businesses throughout the lockdown period.

Flexible Working and Working From Home outcomes

Employees working from home generated a positive response for many businesses as they were able to successfully carry out their working duties at full capacity. Having a positive response from employees working from home has now generated a trend in ‘changing work patterns’.

With a particular focus on benefits to companies and the environment, recent studies show how businesses will financially benefit from saving on rented office spaces whilst offering their employees a cash fee to create their own working space from home. Studies from King’s College London show how 42% of workers in London cannot work from home due to the nature of their role. However, the other 58% of workers have the resources to be able to work at full capacity within their homes.

The high rate of employees working from home has prompted discussions for many companies as to whether they should approach a ‘home-working’ style for their employees moving forward.

Social Distancing and Commuting

We are all aware of the social distancing measures put in place by the Government to reduce the spread of the virus. Fewer employees travelling to and from work means there should be a mass reduction in overcrowding, reducing the strain on the public transport services which evidently means that they can implement the safety measures.

Evidence to support this comes from the Institute for Fiscal Studies where rail companies have suggested that capacity on trains may be reduced by 70–90% if social distancing is enforced, and Transport for London has said that even if all services are operating, capacity on London’s bus and tube network will only be at 13–15% of what it is normally.

Understanding the environmental impacts of changing work patterns is also a crucial benefactor for businesses to consider. With their employees no longer travelling into the office on a daily basis means there will be a huge reduction in air pollution produced by motor vehicles which in the long run is creating healthier air for us and the environment.

So, as we enter the summer months and many more businesses begin to re-open their doors, the uncertainty of how COVID-19 has affected our jobs will continue to shape the future of many businesses across the UK. With a strong belief that there will be positive implications coming from the devastating past months, we can now begin to look at how working environments are going to be changed to suit the need of adapting work patterns that are becoming apparent as a result of this pandemic.

SMART Advocates for Working from Home and Flexibility

From the team here at SMART Garden Offices we wish you all a safe return to work over the coming weeks!

SMART has always been an advocate of working from home and there has never been a better time to take the plunge. So, if you will still be working from home but are desperate for a dedicated space, then don’t forget to check out our stunning range of garden offices.

If you would like to know more about our current range of beautiful garden rooms, you can contact us on 0800 242 5559, or to email us at contactus@smartgardenoffices.co.uk

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