Coronavirus: ‘Millions’ in Britain want permanent flexible working after lockdown, survey suggests

Research has previously suggested that employees logging on remotely take less time off and are more productive, writes Jon Sharman

Technological limitations have partly hindered telecommuting in Japan, experts say (PA)

Millions of people plan to ask their bosses to make flexible working arrangements permanent once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted, a survey suggests.

More than two-fifths (44 per cent) of people who answered a Direct Line questionnaire said working from home at least part of the time should be a permanent option.

One in 12 said they would ask their employer to let them work remotely full-time, though two days per week at home was the most popular choice, the insurer found.

Saving money on travel was a major reason for workers’ desire to avoid the office, as was spending time with their families.

“Many people wouldn’t have considered their employer would accept a flexible working request, despite it being legal to make one, before the pandemic, but now companies and employees have become used to home working as the ‘new norm’, it seems many hope to make part of the change permanent,” said Chloe Couper, of Direct Line.

She added: “While the lockdown has been an incredibly difficult and disruptive time for many, it seems to have also had an impact on the mindset of millions of UK workers about the aspects of their life they want to change once it is over.”

Direct Line claimed the survey results suggested some 13 million people planned to make a request for flexible working.

The impending deluge of such requests appears to have government backing. Liz Truss, the women and equalities minister, said Britain had to reconsider the way it did business.

In a statement, she said: “Flexible working is key to helping people balance their jobs with their caring responsibilities. It can enable parents and those caring for elderly relatives to keep their careers, stay in roles that reflect their skills, and spend more time with their families.

“We have an opportunity for change, to build workplaces that take into account our families and support us to have both.”

Research has previously suggested that employees logging on remotely take less time off and are more productive.

In the US, tech giants Google and Facebook have already said their employees should prepare to work from home until 2021, while Twitter has said its teams can work remotely on a permanent basis.

There have been hints that Britons will not accept an automatic return to life as we knew it before Covid-19 – a survey found last month that despite the hardships of lockdown, people were enjoying the experience of cleaner air and stronger social bonds, with an overwhelming majority hoping to see some personal and societal changes on the other side.