‘Work to live, not live to work’ reveals new HomeWorkingClub survey

A new survey from global home working portal HomeWorkingClub has revealed a new focus on working to live, not living to work. The survey sought the views of freelancers, remote workers and those not currently working from home to gain insights into post-COVID working attitudes. The results show a clear focus on family life and health, over and above career progression and financial gain.

Ben Taylor, Founder, HomeWorkingClub said “The results showing workers’ priorities were conclusive, as were those showing how much people plan to work from home over the course of the next year. 75.3% of remote workers plan to work remotely more over the coming 12 months. 62.4% of them stated that this was as a direct result of COVID-19, as the longer-term impact of the pandemic on working life becomes clearer.

“It’s clear that workers want to do more remote work and have more control over their lifestyle. What’s also interesting is the overwhelming evidence that the trend towards remote working and freelancing has nothing to do with an aversion to hard work. Indeed, a significant proportion of workers plan to increase their hours of work or start a second job/side gig over the year ahead.”

Setting up a second job or a side gig is one way to try and ensure job security in these testing economic times. The HomeWorkingClub survey found that 56.5% of remote workers plan to do so in the next year, along with 51.1% of freelancers.

The survey also explored what it is about freelancing and remote working that holds so much appeal, aside from the obvious point about it being an ideal social distancing arrangement. For remote workers, it was the enhanced work/life balance that was top of the list. 75.3% reported that more family/leisure time was one of the best things about remote working. Mental health benefits come into play too, with 69.4% flagging up stress reduction as one of the best benefits.

For freelancers, 76.6% of respondents felt that the ability to make their own hours was one of the best things about working freelance, followed closely by being their own boss (56.7%), job flexibility (51.8%) and more family/leisure time (51.1%).

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed working life in countless ways, as the HomeWorkingClub survey results reflect. 87.8% of respondents feel that the working world has changed forever.