With working from home for many predicted to stay in at least some shape or form, householders are considering the ways in which their existing properties can be adapted to feature a dedicated home office — or putting it top of their wish list ahead of a move. PBM considers new findings from Velux which outline the importance of a healthy home working environment.
Whether it is through a hybrid model or sustained working from home, this pandemic-enforced shift in behaviours has seen a sharp rise in the demand for dedicated home office spaces over the last two years. Indeed, research from Velux shows one in five of those working from home want to do this more, whilst nearly half (46%) of those who work from home are doing so five days a week.
The findings also outline the challenges people face and their demands when looking to create the ‘ultimate working from home’ space, as the ongoing pandemic has made us all reconsider our surroundings and what is important to us. And with more time spent at home than ever before, Velux found that nearly one in 10 home workers (9%) say they have actually moved to better suit their requirements whilst a further one in five have considered doing so to better support their WFH needs.
Perhaps proving just how much working from home has become — and will remain — a cultural norm, over a quarter (27%) of UK home workers say that they consider having a dedicated home office as being a non-negotiable asset when looking for a new property. For those who work from home currently, the living room ranks as the most popular location where people do their work (24%), followed by a dedicated home office space (17%) and an adult bedroom (13%).
Over a third of home workers (36%) also say they have already made improvements to help support home working, with 63% spending up to £3,000 and many others spending up to £10,000 on renovations.
Let there be light
With time spent indoors at an all-time high and working conditions a priority, access to daylight is one of the top demands from homeworkers, with nearly three fifths (57%) revealing that available daylight is highly or extremely important to them — yet only nearly half (46%) are truly satisfied with the available daylight in their current workspace.
Jim Coates, Northwest Europe Region Marketing Director at Velux, commented: “A bright and welcoming work from home space is vital; however, we know that poor working conditions such as inadequate lighting and noise in the home not only impacts our work itself, but more importantly, our overall happiness. In fact, 15% of home workers recognise they are directly impacted by poor working conditions, which translates to the need to — or for the most part, an intention to — invest in home improvements.”
This might be why installing or replacing a window was one of the top three home improvements undertaken to transform a working from home space (10%), coming after buying new furniture / IT equipment (79%) and painting/redecorating (53%). Injecting daylight and fresh air into a room with a roof window is, according to Velux, one of the easiest ways to transform a home office and improve working conditions.
The company goes on to say that for those seeking to move or improve their home office space, improving natural light should be the first consideration when contemplating a room transformation with the firm’s roof windows able to provide an abundance of natural light even in darker and gloomier rooms. Too little light will make a room seem small but plenty of light makes a room feel more spacious, more welcoming and more comfortable.
Jim added: “Throughout the pandemic, people have been both living and working from their homes and so in some cases — depending on their home office set up — aren’t getting the best access to natural light and fresh air. While (the trend continues), improving this access to daylight and air, has never been more important to our mental and physical wellbeing.”
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Said to offer unobstructed views and maximum daylight, Velux has introduced a new range of glass rooflights for flat roofs.
Joining the firm’s existing portfolio of domes, the new additions feature a minimalistic glass-to-edge design and include both a flat glass rooflight and a curved glass rooflight to provide a “desirable statement piece for any contemporary home”.
Available as fixed or electrically-vented, the design of the new rooflights is said to allow for 52% more daylight to enter the home when compared to the previous generation of products.
With options including anti-heat and blackout blinds, the rooflights are suitable for both flat roof renovations and new build projects alike and are said to provide “excellent energy performance and optimal thermal insulation” thanks to the ‘ThermoTechnology’ EPS insulation and low placement of the glazing unit.
Compatible with smart home integration and control, the rooflights come with a 10-year warranty and a number of ‘enhanced installation features’ to ensure ease of handling on site.
