A Warwickshire property company has responded to the increase in home working due to Covid-19 by reconfiguring the design of its properties on a new development.
A survey by the Institute of Directors showed that 74 per cent of just under 1,000 firms it contacted are planning on maintaining the increase in their staff working from home, with more than half considering reducing their use of workplaces in the long-term.
With a permanent shift in home working being one of the expected knock-on effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, AC Lloyd Homes has transformed one of the bedrooms in its showhouse at The Cricketers in Radford Semele, Leamington, into an office for the first time.
Extra points have been added to plug in lap-tops, printers and mobile phones in the office which fits two people working at home within the 67 two, three, four and five-bedroom home development.
AC Lloyd Homes Managing Director Alistair Clark and Sales and Marketing Manager Stephanie Green went along to The Cricketers to spend a day working from the showhouse to road-test it before it was open to the public.
Alistair said he was impressed by the amount of space there is for two people to work in comfort away from the office.
He said: “The Coronavirus pandemic has led to a permanent move to more flexible working due to the national lockdowns and advice when the Tier system was introduced, and everyone has proved they can be highly productive working from home.
“When the vaccination programme is rolled out, I think more and more people will be dividing their time between their office environment and working from home instead of everyone returning to their office desks full-time.
“The last nine months has resulted in more people assessing their homes with people working from either the kitchen, the dining room table or a spare bedroom.
“Transforming one of the bedrooms at the showhouse at The Cricketers into an office shows prospective buyers how they can combine work and home under one roof and, just as importantly, separate the two. The study also has room for a sofa bed so the room can still be used as a bedroom, for when things get back to normal, should the in-laws need to stay the night!
“It is the first time at AC Lloyd that we have designed a designated office but I think it is the way forward for many people’s working lives.
“At AC Lloyd the majority of our staff have been working from home since the first national lockdown began in March although some staff who live alone or prefer to come to the office have returned to our HQ in Tachbrook Park.
“There is no doubt 2020 will be a year we all remember for a variety of reasons including the way we work with the introduction of online meetings becoming part of our lives as well as the location of where we work.”
Caption: Stephanie Green and Alistair Clark from AC Lloyd Homes