How have you adapted to working from home during lockdown? Has cutting the commute given you more energy to hit your targets? Or have the temptations around the house punctured your productivity?
If you fall into the latter category, you’re certainly not alone!
More than a third – 37% in fact – of Leeds residents admitted to working “a lot less” on a daily basis, having swapped the office for a spot on the sofa.
A survey by business card specialists instantprint looked to find out the country’s new habits in the WFH era – so how does Leeds compare to the rest of the UK?
How Have Leeds Workers Adapted?
A big chunk of Leeds’s workforce might not be working as much now, but almost half (46%) say their productivity has remained the same and 14% have even said that they are working a lot more now they’ve traded in the work shoes for slippers.
But there are many obvious distractions around the house, and perhaps Leodensians deserve a bit of credit for being productive in other ways while away from the laptop.
Although 31% of respondents in the LS postcode said Netflix and TV were their main distraction, the same number said they stepped away from work to do household chores and one-fifth have walked the dog instead.
More than a quarter also said that they had gotten lost in doing online surveys rather than their daily tasks.
Is Leeds the UK’s Laziest City?
No way, not even close. In fact, instantprint found that Leeds was the fourth-most productive city in the UK during restrictions!
The laziest city is just a short hop down the M1 however – Sheffield!
While the Steel City might have been built on the hard-working industry, a whopping 18% of respondents there admitted “I am not working at all and getting away with it” – the cheek of it!
What Does Leeds Miss Most About Work?
One day (hopefully) soon, the Headrow, Bridgewater Place and other hotspots of daily activity in Leeds will be buzzing again.
For now, though, many Leeds residents are left reminiscing about better days in the workplace.
The people (50%), human interaction (40%) and moving around more (29%) ranked as the things Leeds workers missed most about the office.
We might need to have a sit-down with the 6% who said they missed team meetings – what?!
Of course, the WFH era has sparked many changes in our language too – and some of it is starting to grate.
Maybe Leodensians are not the likeliest gentlefolk – with almost a quarter saying that ‘hope you’re keeping safe’ and emails starting with ‘in these unprecedented/uncertain/worrying times’ ranked among the most annoying phrases to come out of lockdown.
‘Stop mithering and get on with it’ seems to be the general consensus!
