38% of Remote Workers Routinely Work from Their Bed

A new survey from CraftJack reveals 38% of remote workers are working from their beds regularly. And while working from bed might have its benefits, the disadvantages far outweigh them. This specific data set shows many remote workers still haven’t put together a proper workspace or home office.

Working Remotely From Bed

Why are remote workers still working from their beds? The simple answer is they are still improvising a workspace at home. As a matter of fact, 71% of the respondents in the survey said they are improvising their workspace.

image: CraftJack When it comes to the room they most often work from, home office (32%) and the bedroom (31%) take the top spots. Others said family/living room (23%), kitchen (9%), and basement (5%).  As to where they have worked, the couch (68%) and the bed (65%) are favorites. Outdoors (54%), at the kitchen counter (51%), and even working in a closet (35%) are options for remote workers.

image: CraftJack So, is there one industry that likes working from their bed more than others? In this survey, real estate agents are particularly fond of working from their beds at 80%. Engineering (73%) and accounting (73%) follow, with healthcare (71%) and IT/computer science (69%) rounding up the top five.

image: CraftJack The fact is more people are working from home, but not everyone is set on doing so permanently. And this might be one of the reasons they are not setting up a permanent home office or workspace. However, many businesses are implementing flex schedules with limited remote work while others are moving to remote work entirely. And to address these challenges some companies are giving their remote employees money to support their home workspace.

Developing and Funding a Workspace

The survey says 91% of the respondents are doing something to improve their workspace over the past year. And they have spent an average of $282 for workspace upgrades during the pandemic. Moreover, 58% of them also reveal their employers have contributed either money or supplies to help develop their workspace.

Some of the other takeaways from the survey are:

• 81% have experienced pain and discomfort while working from home at least weekly, with 51% saying it happens most days or every day
• 64% say their body is less supported at home than it was at their office before the pandemic
• For 50% of remote workers, the physical pain is reason enough to return to the office
• The average spend on video call upgrades is $195, with 63% spending money to improve how they look on video calls

Although remote work was growing before the pandemic, the event put the adoption in overdrive. This has forced companies to assess their remote work plan with real-world applications. Only time will tell how many businesses will adopt it fully, partially, or not at all.

The CraftJack survey was carried out with the participation of 1,520 Americans who work entirely or primarily from home between June 16 – 25, 2021. The average age of the respondents was 37 years old, and they were made up of 48% female and 52% male.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, "38% of Remote Workers Routinely Work from Their Bed" was first published on Small Business Trends