There can be no doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed they way we work in 2022. The rise of home working, hybrid working and the increase in self employed people has been phenomenal.

A report published in May 2022 from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) highlights just how prevalent home working has become. 

For example, 84% of workers forced to work from home during the pandemic said they planned to carry out a mix of home and office working in the future. 42% said they would be working from home the majority of the time, with much reduced time in the office. 

Those who planned to return to the office full time fell from 11% in April 2021 to just 8% in February 2022, whilst the proportion of homeworkers planning to work mostly from home rose 12 percentage points in the same period.

The way we work in 2022 has changed - which means the way we organise our homes has had to change too. It just isn't sustainable to work from the sofa or the kitchen table. 

Distractions and interruptions are everywhere when working from home, be it the TV, partners and/or children, visitors or simply the fridge!

It's important, therefore, that home and hybrid workers carve out a space solely for work, a place they can focus uninterrupted and, of course, a place they can work healthily. 

This may mean investing in office supplies, suitable furniture like ergonomic desks and seating, hardware such as printers or laptops and, of course, the consumables to go with them. 

The expense may - and indeed should - be met by the employer, but there's no doubt home workers will dip into their own pockets from time to time too! 

Indeed, here at Bee Business Supplies we've seen a significant rise in the number of deliveries to home addresses as opposed to places of business.

Why the home/hybrid preference?

There are several benefits to home working in spite of the potential disruption. In fact, the benefits for many far outweight the downsides. The report from the ONS listed the following reasons respondents gave for the choice:

• Improved work/life balance (78%)
• Fewer distractions (53%)
• Quicker to complete work (52%)
• Improved wellbeing (47%)
• Easier to think of new ideas (16%)
• Easier to work with others (12%)

Only 8% reported no advantages. 

One huge statistic from the survey ws that almost half of home workers said they were spending less. So while home utility bills had risen for some 86% of people, they were seeing huge savings on fuel and parking (50%) or money spent on public transport (40%).

And a whopping 31% reported there were simply NO downsides to working from home. 

So it seems that home and hybrid working is not only here to stay, but looks set to increase over the next few years. Businesses who buy into the idea are likely to benefit from happier, more productive staff, potentially reduced costs and increasing revenues.