A survey of 2,000 British office workers currently working from home has revealed that 41% feel their work like balance ‘has worsened since working from home due to coronavirus’. And in worrying news for businesses, 22% of Brits state their productivity is down due to WFH distractions.
With millions of people adapting to new ways of working there is a need for safe, dedicated, flexible, isolated work spaces. Responding to this need, Accor has launched Hotel Office; private, socially isolated spaces coupled with hotel services including room service and use of the hotel’s facilities.
Commenting on the launch, Karelle Lamouche, Chief Commercial Officer, Accor Europe, said: “Workers are looking for alternatives to home working and many aren’t ready to or can’t return to offices. Hotel Office is a safe and flexible ‘working from anywhere’ solution to meet spontaneous needs as well as planned working. Hotel Office also responds to the needs of employers needing to tackle productivity drops whilst answering their duty of care to their staff to meet their physical and mental work pressures. As such many employers need a cost-effective, contract-free workspace solution for their staff which provides a reduced commute, flexibility and productivity in safe, clean private work spaces.”
When asked by Accor - which has 265 UK hotels from economy brands such as ibis to traditional business hotels such as Novotel, up to luxury brands including Sofitel and Fairmont – 17% admitted home working was not as they expected. The top 5 reasons cited in by British workers were:
- I miss the social interaction of meeting people through my work - 47%
- I've struggled for motivation working from home - 33%
- I have found it harder to switch off from work when I'm based at home - 29%
- I tend to work longer hours at home - 25%
- I am less productive working from home because of distractions - 22%
Glenda Marchant, Professional Business Coach, The Spark Initiative London, said: “As a professional Business Coach, I work with office based individuals from varied backgrounds, from top beauty companies, to elite sport, and investment banking, and I am hearing the same challenges from everyone. Loneliness, lack of spontaneity and creativity, monotony, over-working, and Zoom burnout! Human beings are social creatures, we are creative; we enjoy structure and love being part of a team. To be in one place constantly, with no one to motivate us, bounce around our ideas, and frankly, chat and laugh with, is beginning to take a toll on the nation’s mental health. Even the boring old commute is missed! Who knew it could be so important? The commute helps to separate home and work life, giving us the opportunity to decompress, and digest our day. It’s our time for ‘relaxed concentration’, that important mental process where new and exciting ideas are conceived.
“By adapting their business to help everyone, Accor’s Hotel Office concept is helping to change the script that Covid-19 has imposed on us all. They are offering a flexible way to help, both employees, and businesses, start to create a ‘new normal’ and move forward positively. Hotel Office is a clever way to offer employees the safe space they need to work, AND bring back the good things that office working can provide. It also gives us the ability to re calibrate work/life balance, separating office and home spaces. It re-introduces the commute, but with hotels everywhere it’s a short commute without the nervousness that a long ride on public transport can create in these ‘Covid times’.”
Karelle continued: “The mental and professional pressures on the British workforce have been considerable in 2020. Being able to provide a safe change of scene is an important step to mitigating some of these pressures. Working from home has long been considered a goal for British businesses. These last few months show that Working From Anywhere, including home and hotel working, is a more practical and mindful approach to flexible working.”
Since the start of lockdown workers across the UK have been impacted by family needs, building works, loss of wi-fi, housemates all vying for the kitchen table – all adding to work pressures and stress levels.
And with office capacity down to as little as 25% in many cases, hotel meeting rooms represent a viable option for office extensions, team meetings and much-missed after work drinks.
15% have struggled to balance the pressures of work and home life and more than a third of British workers complained about failed technology impacting their home working, with 37% citing technology issues as a WFH challenge.
A fifth of Brits miss their commute; something many would not have expected to say six months ago, but the switch-off time the commute allowed gave workers time to unwind before returning home. Instead, now a quarter (25%) of Brits work longer hours, many working their commuting time. More than a fifth (22%) of workers miss face to face meetings, something Accor’s hotels are a convenient solutions for.
The Hotel Office is the home office only better – no distractions, clean ALLSAFE approved surroundings, room service and hotel amenities plus complete flexibility to book whenever there’s the need, even at an hour’s notice. With a range of Accor hotels and brands offering Hotel Offices there are options from as little as £35 per day.
To book a Hotel Office please visit: all.accor.com