The Covid-19 pandemic made several offices adopt the home office model. Although many take time to adapt to this new reality, it seems that it is here to stay. Even with the decrease in cases of the disease and the vaccination coverage of the population, many still prefer to work at home, and the reason is quite simple.
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A survey by the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) showed that the US population gained about 60 million hours with the home office regime. This whole time was used only with displacement between the house and the place of work. That's a lot of buses and subways to take, isn't it?
How are overtime being used in the home office?
With that much time left, workers began to focus more on their own well-being. The survey data showed that those who work from home tend to start their shift a little earlier, to make those hours they used commuting count.
With the remaining minutes, according to the survey, employees prefer to dedicate their time to:
- To sleep (about an hour more)
- Leisure activities at home – like reading a book or watching a series (about two hours more)
- Housework – repairs or maintenance around the house (from 10 to 36 minutes more)
In addition, the researchers also noticed that there was an increase in time spent on other activities that are not necessarily related to work. For example, people are dedicating themselves more to taking care of their children, looking for other jobs or creating ventures that can generate some kind of income.
Among younger people, extra time was particularly spent on activities outside the home. They are going to more social events, eating at restaurants or bars, and exercising more.
The survey also points out that people are using more time for themselves or to enjoy moments together with the home office. This little quality time increased by about two to three hours, according to the scientists' analysis.
work flexibility
With the respite from the Covid-19 pandemic, many people went back to working in person, as was done before the virus. However, according to the CNBC website, 15% of full-time employees are still working remotely. In addition, 30% are adopting hybrid regimes – that is, part face-to-face and part at home.
Research has shown that with this “new normal”, people are preferring jobs with more flexible hours. Thus, they can also give priority to other activities that guarantee leisure, health and well-being.
Yeah, the home office really came to stay.
Graduated in Social Communication at the Federal University of Goiás. Passionate about digital media, pop culture, technology, politics and psychoanalysis.