How working from Home is Affecting Brits'
Relationships
with their Homes
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a massive shift in the way Brits work. Pre-pandemic, working in an office nine to five was the norm for many UK workers. However, since the first lockdown was announced in March 2020, Brits' working patterns have drastically changed. Many people now spend part or all of their week working from home.
Now more than ever, Brits are spending even more time in their homes – but has their relationship with them changed?
After three years, we wanted to find out if our homes have remained our sanctuary or if they are now our work prisons. Do we love them more or less?
We surveyed 1,510 UK homeworkers (working from home on a hybrid or full-time basis) to find out if their relationship with their homes has changed, how they manage a work-life balance and whether their relationships with those they live with have suffered or thrived.
Let’s dive into the results.
Have Brits’ relationships with their homes changed since working from home?
We asked respondents whether working from home has changed their relationship with their home. Overall, 76% of us agreed that their relationship with their home has changed since working from home.
A staggering 44% of Brits love their home more since working from home and hybrid working. Those aged 55+ came top for this question, with one in two (50%) admitting they enjoy their home more.
Could these results be related to Brits cleaning their homes more since working from home?
A staggering 44% of Brits love their home more since working from home and hybrid working.
Just over one in 10 (11%) Brits love their home less since working at home, and 3% have stopped loving their home since working at home.
Breaking it down regionally, Glasgow (88%) and London (81%) residents agreed the most that their relationship with their home has changed. Norwich residents disagreed the most, with 19% stating their relationship with their home hasn’t changed.
How do Brits maintain a work-life balance since working from home?
We asked participants whether their homes have remained their safe space. Since the shift to working at home, 75% of Brits' homes have become their safe space. Delving into which regions agreed the most, the North East came top with 81%, the West Midlands followed in second place with 78%, and Greater London came in third with 77%.
Overall, only 7% of Brits disagreed. The top cities that disagreed were Nottingham (15%), Glasgow (13%) and Liverpool (13%).
82% of participants have a designated or separate workspace
We also delved into what tips Brits use to keep their home their safe space and maintain a work-life balance. Overall, 82% of participants have a designated or separate workspace, and over half of the workers who permanently work at home have a dedicated workspace (60%).
Another tip most of us use is to position themselves near natural light, with nearly one in two (48%) stating they work near a window.
Never working in bed is a common rule for Brits, with 42% stating they never work in bed!
41% also aim to maintain a work-life balance by tidying their laptop away at the end of the day.
How do we keep the home a safe space
How does working from home affect Brits’ relationships?
Our study also delved into whether the relationships with people we cohabit with have suffered or thrived since working from home more. We asked respondents if their relationships have changed with the people they live with, either positively or negatively – whether they get to see each other more, learn more about jobs, or if they’ve started to notice pet peeves and different habits.
The biggest benefit of working from home is seeing more of each other during the working day! 32% of participants said they get to see more of the people they live with, and 29% said they can support each other during the working day. Men scored higher than women on the question regarding supporting each other, with 31% of men compared to 28% of women saying they could.
One in four (25%) admitted they are now closer to the people they live with
Breaking the study down by each city, Belfast (38%), Manchester (34%) and London (33%) were found to be most likely to support each other during the working day.
Surprisingly, one in four (25%) admitted they are now closer to the people they live with due to working from home more often.
On the flip side, just 11% of participants admitted they spend too much time together, which is affecting their relationships. The most common reason cited for this is that they have nothing left to talk about. Just 8% of Brits said they are arguing more. We found those aged 24-34 are arguing the most, with 12% admitting to this. Furthermore, people living in Liverpool (20%) and Manchester (19%) are most likely to notice pet peeves more often when working from home with their partner.
Working from home’ / hybrid relationships
Positive responses
We get to see more of each other
32%
We are able to support each other during the workday
29%
We are closer
25%
We learn more about each other’s jobs
19%
Negative responses
We notice new pet peeves or different habits about each other
14%
We are spending too much time together and it is affecting our relationship
11%
We have nothing to talk about now we see each other all the time
11%
We are arguing more
8%
Neutral responses
N/A- working from home / hybrid working has not changed my relationships with those I live with
15%
N/A – I live alone
10%
What have Brits done with their commuter time since working at home?
Before working at home, many Brits commuted to the office, which sometimes involved at least an hour round trip. We wanted to find out what they have done with this saved time – have they caught up on sleep or are they cleaning more?
Since working at home, more Brits are getting on top of their household tasks, with 43% of participants using this extra time to clean. Overall, 56% of participants are cleaning more since they started working from home, with just 6% stated they are cleaning less. Women were also found to be more likely than men to use this extra time on cleaning activities.
56% of participants are cleaning more since they started working from home
Two in five (41%) Brits are catching up on sleep and 36% are getting on top of their errands. The sleepiest cities were Newcastle (46%), Bristol (45%) and London (44%).
Overall, just 9% of Brits haven’t repurposed their commuter time in any way.
Repurposed commuting time
43%
Household tasks
41%
Getting more sleep
36%
Get on top of errands
30%
Watching TV
25%
Listening to music or podcasts
21%
reading
Cleaning craze: which tasks are Brits doing more of since working at home?
So, which tasks are Brits doing the most since working at home? Overall, cleaning the kitchen tops the list, with 53% of participants saying they do this. Vacuuming the house is in second place with 51%, followed by loading the washing machine (45%) in third place. Cleaning the fridge (27%), loading the dryer (28%) and loading the dishwasher (28%) are the most neglected tasks for Brits when working from home.
70% of Gen Z revealed that they have redecorated their home due to working from home more regularly
Finally, we wanted to know whether Brits have redecorated since working at home more. We found that the response was split evenly: 50% of Brits said yes and 50% said no. A staggering 70% of Gen Z revealed that they have redecorated their home due to working from home more regularly.
What chores are done more since working from home / hybrid working?
Cleaning the kitchen
53%
Vacuuming the house
51%
Loading the washing machine
45%
Cleaning the bathroom
40%
Taking out the bins
38%
Hanging drying
37%
Dusting
36%
Changing the bed
35%
Doing the food shop
30%
Mopping
29%
Loading the dishwasher
28%
Loading the dryer
28%
Cleaning the fridge
27%
Despite spending more time at home, our research shows that Brits love their abodes now more than ever. So, if you fancy London as your next move, we have a wide variety of London new builds including new flats near Croydon, Enfield, Bermondsey, Hendon and Wandsworth.
What chores are done more since working from home / hybrid working?
