- 33 million (61%) Brits admit to feeling anxious that workplaces and businesses won’t be set up with enough PPE to ensure safe social distancing measures when they reopen after lockdown
- 10 million (18%) Brits have had to set up a makeshift work space because they do not have a study
- Nearly a quarter (22%) have hated not having the correct office setup while working from home
- To tackle this, BiGDUG has launched the Back to Work and Working from Home Bundles ahead of 4th July
With a number of businesses and workplaces across the UK set to reopen from 4th July, research* has revealed what Brits have hated most about working from home and our anxieties about returning to the workplace.
Business Solutions specialist, BiGDUG, has an answer to Brits’ working needs, with its brand-new, Back to Work and Working from Home Bundles. The start-up kits are suitable for workplaces heading back to the office, and for those still working from home.
Back to Work
BiGDUG has seen a huge spike in consumer customers looking for PPE equipment during lockdown, with a sales uplift of over 600% for floor tapes and signage since the start of March. However, a national 2,000 person study commissioned by BiGDUG has revealed that a whopping 33 million (61%) Brits feel anxious that workplaces and businesses won’t be set be set up with enough PPE to ensure safe social distancing measures when they reopen after lockdown, and of those, over half (52%) think this is because workers won’t observe social distancing once back in the office.
One in two (51%) think that office spaces are too small for social distancing, while a third (34%) believe there won’t be sufficient PPE due to employers not caring about the rules. In turn, almost a tenth (9%) of those currently working from home do not feel safe returning to the office, which is most true for 45-54 year olds (14%). As a result, one in 14 (7%) would rather work from home permanently.
For those headed back to the workplace on 4th July, BiGDUG’s Back to Work Bundle is the perfect starter kit to help businesses get set up with a selection of social distancing equipment. The bundle includes an Indoor Retractable Belt Barrier, Floor Marking Tape, a Counter and Desk Protection Screen, Disposable Face Masks, and 4 Traffic Cones, and is available to purchase on BiGDUG’s website for £306.
Working from Home
In accordance with government guidelines, much of the nation will be staying put and continuing to work from home. However, research has revealed the office items we’ve been crying out for at home, and what has annoyed us most about working at home. Indeed, BiGDUG has seen a spike in sales for WFH solutions, with sales of their Pop up Desk increasing by 390% over a two week period.
Figures show that 10 million (18%) Brits have had to construct a makeshift work space because they do not have a study. Topping the list of things we’ve hated the most about WFH, nearly a quarter (22%) say they’ve hated not having the correct home office setup, now that we’re without the necessary office equipment.
When it comes to privacy while working at home, a fifth of those surveyed (19%) have hated being interrupted by housemates and family on work video calls, and one in ten (9%) have even admitted they hate working in the same room as their partner. Similarly, one in seven (14%) have felt angered by being interrupted by children while trying to work.
As a result, one in eight (12%) say they’ve missed the peace and quiet of their workplace, with their chair coming in as the most missed piece of office equipment (16%), shortly followed by their desktop (14%) and their office desk itself (12%).
To help work-from-homers get setup with useful at-home solutions, BiGDUG has created the Working from Home Bundle (£83). Budget friendly and here to answer all of your needs, the bundle includes a Pop-up Home Office Desk, as well as a Pop-up Junior Work Activity Desk for the kids. Also included in the kit is BiGDUG’s Pop-up Table Top Partition Screen and Pop-up Desk Divider Partition Screen for Rectangular Desks to ensure privacy for you, and your laptop, at all times while you work! The bundle is available online now.
Chris Reilly, Managing Director at BiGDUG, said, “We know that many people will be returning to work in the coming weeks, and many feel nervous about a lack of PPE. We wanted to create a Back to Work Bundle which could be useful to businesses, and provide a range of social distancing and safety solutions, for when people are back in the workplace.
“Equally, we know many across the UK will continue to work from home, and given the problems we’ve faced in these new working environments, we have also created the Working From Home Bundle, to help customers with an array of issues they may be having at home, without the usual office equipment.”
For more information, visit: www.bigdug.co.uk
*Research conducted on 2,000 UK Respondents, July 2020, by Censuswide.