COVID-19 - Our Lives Five Years On: Social Impact

Employee respondents who did not work from home prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but now work remotely from home either on a hybrid or full-time basis were asked to rate their experience working from home. They were asked to rate the following statements ‘My work-life balance has improved’ and ‘My overall job satisfaction has improved’. Response options were ‘Strongly agree’, ‘Agree’, ‘Neither agree nor disagree’, ‘Disagree’ and ‘Strongly disagree’ for both statements.

Work-Life Balance

More than half (55%) of relevant respondents Strongly agree that their work-life balance has improved since they commenced working remotely from home with more than three in ten (31%) saying they Agree with the statement. Less than 6% of relevant respondents state they Disagree or Very disagree with this.

There is a noticeable difference in perceptions of employees aged under 50 and those aged over 50. Approximately six in ten employees in each age group under 50 say they Strongly agree that their work life balance has improved since they commenced working remotely from home while this proportion reduces to approximately five in ten for those in each age group over 50. See table 4.1.

Employees who work remotely from home more often are more likely to believe their work-life balance has improved since commencing remote-working. Nine in ten (90%) respondents who work remotely from home at least half of their working week Agree or Strongly agree that their work life balance has improved since they started working remotely from home. The comparable figure is eight in ten (80%) for those who work remotely from home at least one day a week. However, a considerably higher proportion (63%) of those who work from home at least half their working week Strongly agree that their work-life balance has improved than those who work remotely from home less often (38%). See figure 4.1 and table 4.1.

Relevant respondents with better health are more likely to Strongly agree with the statement that their work-life balance has improved. Six in ten (60%) respondents who rate their health as very good say they strongly agree compared with five in ten (49%) of those who rate their health as fair/bad/very bad.

Analysis by household composition shows that employees who live in a household with children and those who live in a household consisting of only adults have similar views on how working remotely from home is affecting their work-life balance.  Almost nine in ten of both cohorts either Agree or Strongly agree that their work life balance has improved since commencing working from home, 88% and 85% respectively.

Job satisfaction

Seven in ten (70%) relevant respondents Agree or Strongly agree that their job satisfaction has improved since they have started working from home during the pandemic, with just over one-tenth (11%) saying they Disagree or Strongly disagree while two in ten (19%) Neither agree nor disagree. See figure 4.2 and table 4.2.

Younger respondents, i.e. those aged 18-29, are most likely (80%) to Agree or Strongly agree that their job satisfaction has improved since they started remote-working from home while those aged 50-59 are least likely (59%) to agree with the statement. One in eight (13%) of this age cohort said they Disagree or Strongly disagree with this statement. See figure 4.3 and table 4.2.

Employees who work from home more often are more likely to Agree or Strongly agree that their job satisfaction has improved since they started working remotely from home. Three-quarters (75%) of those who work remotely from home at least half their working week Agree or Strongly agree their job satisfaction has improved. This compares with six in ten (61%) of those who work remotely from home less often.

Almost one-fifth (18%) of respondents who rate the financial status of their household as bad Disagree or Strongly disagree that their job satisfaction has improved since they started working from home. This is double the proportion (9%) of those who rate their financial status as good who answered similarly.

Relationship with Colleagues

Employees who are newly working from home for at least some of the week and who are still working with some of the same people as before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic were asked what impact (if any) has working from home had on their relationship with their work colleagues. Response options were ‘Positive impact’, ‘Negative impact’, ‘No impact’, ‘Can’t say/Don’t know’.

Overall, one-third (33%) of relevant respondents report that working remotely from home has had a Positive impact on their relationship with work colleagues. More than one in six (17%) say it has had a Negative impact while less than one-half (45%) report No impact. See figure 4.4 and table 4.3.

Male and female employees’ perceptions of how working remotely from home has impacted on their relationships with work colleagues are identical.

Respondents aged 40-49 are the age cohort most likely (38%) to report that working remotely from home has had a Positive impact on relationships with colleagues while those aged 60-69 are the least likely (20%). Older respondents, i.e. those aged 60-69, are most likely (60%) to report working remotely from home has not impacted work relationships.

Full-time employees are more likely to say that remote working has had a Positive impact on relationships with work colleagues compared with part-time employees (34% versus 21%). More than half (55%) of those employed part-time say that remote working has had No impact on their work relationships compared with 44% of those employed full-time. Approximately one in six of both types of employees say that working remotely from home has had a Negative impact on their relationships with their colleagues.

Half (50%) of respondents who work from home less often, i.e. at least one day a week but less than half the working week, say that remote working has had No impact on their relationship with colleagues. The relative figure for those who work from home more often is 42%. Those who work remotely from home at least half the working week are more likely to say remote working has had both a Positive impact (35%) and a Negative impact (18%) on their work relationships. The relative figures for those working from home less often are 29% and 16% respectively.