Brits embracing ‘working on the go’ from their mobiles
With millions embracing hybrid working between the home and the office, Virgin Media O2 (in partnership with Censuswide) reveals the top 15 alternate locations Brits are logging on to work remotely. Topping the list was friends and family homes (27%), followed by gardens (24%). Meanwhile, nearly one in ten of us will log on from the pub – and unsurprisingly the school run makes it on the list (8%).
The top 15 “working from roam” spots
work on the go
1 |
Friends / family house |
27% |
2 |
Garden |
24% |
3 |
Café |
19% |
4 |
On a walk |
15% |
5 |
Car journey |
14% |
6 |
Train journey |
12% |
7 |
Car park |
11% |
8 |
Restaurant |
11% |
9 |
Doing exercise (at home) |
11% |
10 |
Park |
11% |
11 |
Shops (high street) |
10% |
12 |
Local Supermarket |
10% |
13 |
Pub |
9% |
14 |
In the bathroom |
8% |
15 |
On the school run |
8% |
The results suggest an increasingly flexible working model has created a trend in using tech to create a portable office, moving from working from home to working from ‘roam,’ with on average almost one in four (23%) logging on via their phones on the go.
An example of this is PR Director Geoff Robjent, 32, who splits his time between London and Bristol. Having lived in London for nine years, he moved to Bristol in 2020, thanks to flexible working trends spawned by the pandemic.https://alertify.eu/?s=remote+working
He said, “Thanks to a great mobile connection and the opportunity to work flexibly, I’ve had an incredible work-life balance over the past few months. Every Monday and Wednesday, I pick my daughter Aria up from school, while waiting for her I often use my phone to check emails and review documents sitting in my car in the school car park. I no longer have ‘dead time’ whilst commuting and can log off earlier to spend more time with family in the evenings.”
According to the research, virtual meeting apps like Microsoft Teams/Zoom and software apps like Office 365, which allow workers to access documents from anywhere, are the tech must-haves for people embracing the ‘work from roam’ trend.
Over a third (35%) of those surveyed reported flexible working improved their mental health, whilst others cited additional time to eat and prepare meals (33%) and the chance to complete housework (31%) and exercise (28%) as significant benefits compared to pre-pandemic life.
Jo Bertram, Managing Director, Business and Wholesale at Virgin Media O2, said: “We know that where they can do so safely and securely, office workers are adopting a true hybrid approach to work – and it’s encouraging to hear tech and mobile connectivity are helping them embrace flexibility, stay productive and create their own work-life balance.
“This shows that now’s not the time to slow down the tech progress we’ve made in the last 18 months. Employers must continue to invest in tech to help people work from anywhere, as people shift from working from home to a hybrid approach across home, the office and ‘working from roam’. People need mobile tariffs that meet their needs, devices that are pre-configured and ready to go, secure handsets, data and networks and tech that connects them wherever and however they work best.” work on the go
Recent research from Virgin Media O2 Business and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (Cebr) revealed nearly half of the UK’s 8.6 million part-time employees would increase their working time if their employer would let them work remotely, leading to 1.27 billion more hours worked and a potential boost to GDP by £48bn annually. The Cebr study also revealed employees now expect to work remotely for 2.5 days per week, with company leaders in broad agreement: expecting their employees to work remotely for 2.3 days a week.
