Home office space added to more wishlists
The coronavirus and efforts to slow its spread have caused big changes to Americans’ day-to-day routine. From becoming more reliant on delivery services to doing more of our own cooking, we’ve had to rethink the way we live our lives and get things done.
Among those changes, working from home has been a big one.
Home office requirement is top of the list
Reason | % Selected |
---|---|
Live in a home with a dedicated officer space | 31% |
Live in a larger home | 30% |
Live closer to friends and/or family | 29% |
Live in a home with more rooms | 29% |
Live in a more affordable home | 28% |
Live in a home with more outdoor space | 27% |
Live in a less-dense area with fewer neighbors | 25% |
Live in/nearby a vacation destination | 20% |
Live in a more-dense area with more neighbors | 15% |
Other | 3% |
Modern technology has made it easier for more people to work from wherever they are. And now that the pandemic has more of us working remotely, it’s beginning to change the way we think about our living space and what we need.
For example, one recent analysis found an increasing number of Americans who would make a move if allowed to work remotely long term.
But it isn’t only our ideas about where we’d like to live that have changed, it’s also the features we look for in a house.
The survey found the majority of respondents who are working from home said they’re working from a room that isn’t a dedicated office. That’s led to an increase in interest in homes that have an office, or at least enough extra space to find a quiet spot to get some work done.
My thoughts on home office requirements
Recently, twitter announced that they’re giving an option to all its employees to work from home permanently (even after pandemic). I personally suspect this trend will follow suit by other employers in the coming months ahead.
For businesses that can, this solves many problems for both employers and employees.
For employers:
- Corporates can reduce their overhead in office space.
- No need to incentivize quality employees to relocate when hiring.
- More talented employees who didn’t apply before due to relocation.
For employees:
- Not limited to jobs available in your local city.
- No need to relocate and leave your friends and family.
- Possible more pay with benefits of low cost of living.
Of course, not all businesses can rely on remote workers since we still need brick and mortar stores, shops, services, and etc. But given the chance to work from home permanently, what would it take for you to accept it? Bigger house/backyard? Better location? Dedicated home office?