Almost half (44%) of employees in Ireland work from home at least one day a month, according to an O2 survey. A second, complementary survey of those who already work remotely, found that a third of respondents expect the trend of remote working to accelerate over the next 12 months. Some 45% of workers, who currently work remotely at least one day a month, believe that over the next five years the majority of business communications will be from home or outside the office.
The survey was carried out by Ignite Research to find out what percentage of the total adult population in Ireland works from home. A follow up study drilled down into the attitudes of those who currently work remotely, which was defined as working at least one day a month from home, in a client’s office, in a coffee shop, on the train or from another location outside of the office.
More than two thirds (70%) of respondents who work remotely agreed or strongly agreed that working outside the office enabled them to find a positive work-life balance. A similar number (69%) said they felt happier after working off-site for a day compared to working in their office.
Over a quarter (28%) of those surveyed said that they already had a dedicated working space in their home, while more than a half (53%) would consider setting up a home office in the future.
Unsurprisingly the inclination towards homeworking is more pronounced among those with children. Some 42% of those with children expect to be working more often outside the office compared to 29% of those with no children. Amongst those who thought they would be working remotely more often, almost half (47%) said that technology was making it easier for them to work outside the office.
While the majority of respondents (78%) tended to base themselves at home when working away from the office, half of those surveyed (49%) said they had worked in a hotel, while 40% had worked in a cafe. A similar number (39%) had worked on a train or bus, while nearly a third (31%) had worked in airports.
A lack of direct interaction with colleagues was seen as the biggest disadvantage of working remotely. This was followed by external distractions, such as children or pets, and not having access to the right technology. Company culture or because it did not match their personality or technical limitations were the main reasons for not working outside the office according to the minority (11%) who said they would work remotely less often over the next 12 months.
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