07
February
2022
|
15:29
Europe/London

IS 2022 THE YEAR OF THE HOME OFFICE?

NEW RESEARCH FROM VELUX REVEALS A DEDICATED HOME OFFICE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE FOR OVER A QUARTER OF UK HOME WORKERS WHEN BUYING A NEW PROPERTY

OF THOSE ALREADY WORKING FROM HOME:

·       46% OF HOME WORKERS WORK FROM HOME 5 DAYS A WEEK

·       82% OF HOME WORKERS THAT HAVE UNDERTAKEN HOME IMPROVEMENTS HAVE SPENT UP TO £10,000 TO BETTER SUIT THEIR WORKING FROM HOME NEEDS

·       27% SAY A HOME OFFICE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE IN THEIR FUTURE PROPERTY SEARCH - RANKING HIGHER THAN A PLAYROOM

LONDON, 8 February 2022: Working from home is here to stay. Whether it’s hybrid working or sustained working from home, this shift in global ways of working has seen a sharp rise in the demand for dedicated home office spaces over the last two years. VELUX’s research shows one in five (20%) of those working from home want to do this more and nearly half (46%) of people who work from home, now work from home five days week.  The findings from VELUX bring to light Brits’ attitudes to home working, the challenges they face and their demands when looking to create the ultimate working from home space.

MOVING ON THE MIND: ONE IN FIVE ARE CONSIDERING RELOCATION

The on-going pandemic has made us all reconsider our surroundings and what is important to us. With more time spent at home than ever before, VELUX has found that nearly one in 10 home workers (9%) say they have moved home to better suit their need to work from home, and one in five (20%) have considered doing so to better support their need to work from home.

DEDICATED HOME OFFICES ARE NON-NEGOTIABLE SAY OVER A QUARTER OF HOME WORKERS

Proving just how much working from home has become - and will remain - a cultural norm, over a quarter (27%) of UK home workers say that they consider having a dedicated home office as being a non-negotiable asset when looking for a new property - ranking higher than an attic (20%) or playroom (5%). For those who work from home currently, the living room ranks as the most popular room where people say they do their home working (24%), followed by a dedicated home office space (17%) and an adult bedroom (13%). Over a third of home workers (36%) also say they have already made improvements to help support home working with 63% of them spending up to £3,000 and 82% spending up to £10,000 on renovations.

LET THERE BE LIGHT: HOMEOWNERS DEMAND ACCESS TO DAYLIGHT FROM ABOVE WHEN TRANSFORMING THEIR SPACES

With time spent indoors at an all-time high and working conditions a priority, access to daylight is one of the top demands from homeworkers, with nearly three fifths (57%) revealing that available daylight is highly or extremely important to them, yet only nearly half (46%) are truly satisfied with the available daylight in their current workspace.

Jim Coates, Northwest Europe Region Marketing Director at VELUX, comments, ‘A bright, and welcoming work from home space is vital; however, we know that poor working conditions such as inadequate lighting and noise in the home not only impacts our work itself, but more importantly, our overall happiness. In fact, 15% of home workers recognize they are directly impacted by poor working conditions, which translates to the need to – or for the most part an intention to – invest in home improvements.’

This might be why installing or replacing a window was one of the top three home improvements undertaken to transform a working from home space (10%) – coming after buying new furniture / IT equipment (79%) and painting/redecorating (53%). Injecting daylight and fresh air into a room with a VELUX roof window is one of the easiest ways to transform a home office and improve working conditions.

Jim Coates continues, ‘Throughout the pandemic, people have been both living and working from their homes and so in some cases – depending on their home office set up – aren’t getting the best access to natural light and fresh air. While restrictions remain in place for the foreseeable future, improving this access to daylight and air, has never been more important to our mental and physical wellbeing.”

For those seeking to move or improve their home office space, VELUX, the daylight experts, offers its top tips to get you started:

1) Make daylight the first consideration when contemplating a room transformation. VELUX roof windows can provide an abundance of natural light – even in darker and gloomier rooms. Too little light will make a room seem small – but plenty of light makes a room feel more spacious, more welcoming and more comfortable.

2) You can also use interior design to bring in more daylight and to transform your space. Light-coloured walls and furniture help to reflect the natural light from your roof windows, creating a lighter, brighter living space. VELUX & interior design duo Poodle & Blonde have launched a limited-edition ‘Magic Hours’ collection designed specifically with the home office space in mind in a trio of colourways that echo the way light changes from dusk to dawn designed to complement daylight from above and aid productivity.

3) Maximise your daylight by considering the placement of your roof windows. If you position your roof windows so they follow the sun’s movements, for example, then your room can enjoy sunlight throughout the day.

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About the VELUX Group 
For more than 80 years, the VELUX Group has created better living environments for people around the world; making the most of daylight and fresh air through the roof. Our product programme includes roof windows and modular skylights, decorative blinds, sun screening products and roller shutters, as well as installation and smart home solutions. These products help to ensure a healthy and sustainable indoor climate, for work and learning, for play and pleasure. We work globally – with sales and manufacturing operations in more than 35 countries and around 11,000 employees worldwide. The VELUX Group is owned by VKR Holding A/S, a limited company wholly owned by non-profit, charitable foundations (THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS) and family. In 2022, the VELUX Group had total revenue of EUR 2.99 billion, VKR Holding had total revenue of EUR 4.29 billion, and THE VELUX FOUNDATIONS donated EUR 181 million in charitable grants. 

For more information about VELUX Group, visit velux.com.