- More than a third (35%) of workers believe remote working has improved their mental health
- 39% say their physical health has improved whilst remote working and 59% said work/life balance has improved
- 82% of respondents want company to offer hybrid work policy when restrictions lift
- Large majority (89%) of workers believe they are as productive working from home as in office
- Those from Cavan, Westmeath and Kildare are benefitting most
Dublin, 20th September 2021 – Auxilion, a leading provider of digitally transformative IT services and solutions, today announces the results of a new survey which revealed that remote working is saving Irish office workers, on average, 58 minutes per day.
The survey – conducted by Censuswide and involving more than 500 office workers in Ireland – found that the majority of people (59%) are spending this additional hour on relaxing or family time.
The workers saving the most commute time are from Cavan (121 minutes), Westmeath (around 77 minutes), Kildare (over 71 minutes), Kilkenny (just shy of 68 minutes) and Wexford (roughly 65 minutes)
Furthermore, the research found that more than a third (35%) of Irish office workers believe working remote has improved their mental health. Some 39% said their physical health had improved as a result of same, while 59% believe their work/life balance had improved.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the research found that some 82% of respondents want their company to offer a hybrid work policy when lockdown restrictions end.
While over a fifth (22%) want an even split between working from home and at the office, the same number want to be mostly working from home. This option was found to be more popular among females than males – 26% compared to 17%.
As for the main benefits of remote working, no commuting topped the list (53%), followed by saving money (51%) and a better work/life balance (51%). More flexibility also ranked highly (44%), as did reducing the carbon footprint/being good for the environment (38%).
Furthermore, 89% of office workers believe they are as productive working remotely as in the office, with the top enabler of productivity cited as high-speed broadband (58%). The other top drivers were virtual meetings (37%) and secure instant access to all company systems and applications (36%).
Speaking about the findings, Eleanor Dempsey, Director of Consulting & Competency, Auxilion, said: “Irish businesses need to be able to operate in a hybrid world. While some organisations may never return to the office, others will be welcoming staff back in the months to come – putting an intense spotlight on their long-term strategies for staff, infrastructure, processes and governance.
“Companies need to appreciate that the role and priority of work in their employees′ lives has changed. They also need to realise that employees can still be effective and impactful, while taking more time for themselves. The hybrid conversation is no longer about getting people connected during a crisis, but embracing it as the new normal and, perhaps more crucially, deploying it as a means of talent acquisition and retention.
“This requires a shift in mindset and it’s key that businesses don’t just prolong old thinking with new technologies and automated processes. They really need to examine their business strategies and governance controls in the context of the new expectations of the workforce, and leverage it as an opportunity to both empower staff and drive business growth.”
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About the survey
All findings relate to those office workers that were surveyed. Censuswide surveyed 501 office workers in the Republic of Ireland, either currently working from home or having worked from home previously. The survey was conducted between 18.06.2021 – 28.06.2021. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
