The Truth Behind Working From Home: A Third Of People Admit They Work In Their Pyjamas And Take Conference Calls Naked

• 10% of those questioned revealed they have worked from home naked
• Almost half admit skiving off work whilst at home with many taking baths
• 35% continue to work in their underwear

The pros and cons of ‘Working from Home’ (WFH) are hotly debated, and a new study released today by Altodigital, the UK’s leading independent supplier of office technology solutions, is set to add fuel to the fire, with slacking off, naked conference calls and napping all common-place from workers up and down the country.

The study, which questioned 1,000 UK employees, was commissioned to help Altodigital better understand the technological and operational challenges faced by businesses when it came to remote and mobile working.

It reveals that despite 40% of workers claiming their productivity more than doubles when WFH, that motivation has a limited scope; peaking at just four hours a day, before it trails off.

Maintaining a professional dress code also seems to create an issue for some, with one-in-ten admitting to having at some point worked naked while fielding client and colleague phone calls!

A slightly more modest 35% preferred to stay in their dressing gown or pyjamas while working and, interestingly, men are twice more likely than women to dress in smarter ‘office wear’ while WFH.

A staggering 41% of respondents admitted to regularly skiving off when WFH, with an astonishing 6% revealing that they have skived off 100% of a working day! The top distractions were watching TV (24%), household chores (27%) and playing with children (26%), with 1-in-20 of respondents confessing to having a relaxing bath and even taking a nap while ‘on-the-clock’.

Consultant social scientist, psychology presenter and professional author Anjula Mutanda said: “It is important to be aware that how you dress may more subtly affect your mood and attitude, and it can be particularly challenging to maintain a professional and focused approach when working from home. You may enjoy being able to wear your dressing gown all day, but this may sub-consciously put you in the weekend relaxed mood and could slow you down.”

Technology also played a key role when it comes to productivity levels, with one-in-five facing server connectivity issues, slow internet (40%) and an inability to connect to a printer (11%) while WFH, showing that many business still don’t have the appropriate technologies in place to cater for effective homeworking.

However, it’s not all negative, and the research revealed the very real benefits of WFH, including helping to support employee’s family commitments (23%), workers benefitting from improved concentration (20%) and saving on travel costs (15%).

Tony Burnett, Group Sales Director at Altodigital comments: “Over the past few years we have seen a clear trend in businesses looking to implement effective WFH policies for their staff and though the many benefits are undeniable, firms must work sensibly to ensure they are getting the most out of their employees when they are working away from the office.

“In order for WFH to work successfully, firms must have a clear and concise WFH policy in place which sets measureable and specific goals for their employees. This should be supported by an appropriate IT infrastructure that makes it easy for employees to connect to the server, print and access their relevant documents and feedback their progress to the rest of the team quickly and easily.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:
Established in 1975, Altodigital Networks Ltd (Altodigital) has grown steadily and consistently to become one of the largest, independent suppliers of office technology solutions in the UK. Today the company employs over 400 staff across eleven strategically placed regional centres. The company is recognised for its personal and customer centric focus and its understanding of what private, and public sector organisations require from their document solutions. Altodigital’s core experience lies in managing print and copy environments to help the small business or corporate customer. 
Companies from many different market sectors have benefited from Altodigital’s wealth of experience and precise attention to detail. Its hardware partners include Kyocera, HP, Ricoh, Lexmark, Sharp and Canon, enabling it to offer a ‘best of breed’ policy, to ensure that the most appropriate solution is recommended for the specific requirements of its clients. For more details visit: www.altodigital.com

For more information contact Emily Moult at Prohibition PR via emily@prohibitionpr.co.uk

Source: RealWire