Working from home is harming mental health

More than a third of people reported suffering anxiety or depression while working from home during the latest lockdown. New research from Office Space in Town Over shows that over half  (51%) felt their mental health had been negatively affected – an increase of 18% on OSiT’s findings in May 2020. Despite a widespread desire to work flexibly – 71% want some form of flexible working with at least one day a week at home – OSiT said the results highlighted why the office is vital to wellbeing as well as productivity. A total of 84% said they want to return to the office once vaccinated. However, as “work from home” continues to be the government’s mantra until Monday, only 16% have so far returned to their normal office location. OSiT MD Niki Fuchs said: “It is clear from this research that protracted home working cannot be sustainable for people or businesses. In fact, these findings show its widespread consequences for worker wellbeing. “The office has a crucial role to play in prioritising collaboration, mental health and productivity as businesses recover from the pandemic. But, without an office footprint, organisations can only claim to offer “false flexibility” for their staff.” To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews