Post Covid-19 - Survey Results - How will we work, study, move and live?
Covid-19 has changed the way we look at how and where we work, study, move and live.
We know that we are working and studying from home more than ever and our relationships with our places of work and education have changed. We also know there is less activity in the CBD. During the peak of the crisis, our movement behavious and patterns also changed. We need to understand and start thinking about how much of this change will be permanent and how it may influence how we plan, develop and manage our cities and regions.
To explore this further the Urban Future Exchange (previously known as the Australian Institute of Urban Studies SA) released an open survey - Post Covid-19: How will we work, study, move and live?
The survey asked 31 questions that covered working, studying, moving, living, connectivity, productivity, health and wellbeing and urban management.
The questions explored peoples’ behaviours and attitudes before Covid–19 (March 2020) and after (December 2020). 74 South Australians engaged with the open survey.
Executive Summary of the results:
Working and studying from home is here to stay;
We are likely to move the same way (no mode shift). However, as we work and study from home more, we will commute less to places of work and study. Based on the survey we could consider a 10%-30% reduction in commuting going forward;
Housing will need to be more suitable for working and studying from home arrangements;
There are significant productivity, financial and time saving benefits to working and studying from home.;
We need to understand the impacts of working from home on our health and wellbeing; and
South Australian’s are open to looking at ways to better manage our urban environment in a more flexible but also a more coordinated and integrated way.
The full results generate a timely snapshot and will hopefully spark further research and discussion about how we best use the experience to improve the way we plan, develop and manage our urban environment.
PLACE OF WORK / STUDY
The percentage of people that were working / studying at their place of work / study 100% of their time reduced from 79% (March 2020) to 40% (December 2020). People that were working / studying at their place of work / study 75% of their time increased from 10% to 25%. Of note, the number of people that were working / studying 100% at home increased from 7% to 18% (72 responses).
When asked about their ideal future arrangements (2021 and beyond), 20% preferred to be 100% of their time at their place of work / study, with 33% wanting to spend 75% of their time at their place of work / study. 22% wanted a 50% / 50% arrangement and 15% wanted to spend 25% of their time at their place of work and study. Only 8% wanted to be 100% at home (72 responses).
However, this did not align with their workplace / place of education’s proposed arrangements going forward, with 55% believing they will be spending 100% of their time at their place of work / study and 28% believing they will be spending 75% of their time at their place of work / study. 100% of their time at home was not believed to be a preference for the workplace (less than 8%) (72 responses).
Respondents thought a perceived lack of trust and oversight from management and the organisation’s aspiration to have people back in the place of work / study were the major reasons for the difference between the ideal and likely arrangements (72 responses). 93% of respondents believed workplaces should support greater working from home flexibility (61 Responses).
The survey results show people would like to spend less time at their place of work / study and more time working / studying from home.
These results are similar to another recent survey that found only 18% of people wanted to spend 100% of their time at their place of work. Those results also showed 40% preferred a mix and 22% wanted to work 100% of their time at home (19.7% stated they couldn’t work from home)[i]
Whilst this survey suggests the statistically preferred mix is spending 75% of time at a place of work / study and 25% at home, individual comments suggested there is no one size fits all approach and each employee and workplace should seek to identify the optimum mix. One respondent provided this insight:
“It would be good for workplaces to give workers the flexibility to pick and choose whether they want to work at the office or at home each day based on projects they are working on or mood/mental health. Some weeks I feel fine to come in to the office or have lots I can get done at the office, other weeks are quiet and I could do the majority of my work from home. Some days I might wake up and feel a bit off but I will drag myself to work and be less productive whereas I would’ve been more productive if I could have just stayed home and worked at my own pace.”
MOVEMENT
There was only one change to the way people moved to their place to work / study between March 2020 and December 2020. The results showed there was a decrease in the percentage of people that used public transport from 31% to 20%. The people that were working from home were not travelling at all (70 Responses).
Some respondents added that they were not currently using public transport due to Covid-19 related health concerns. One respondent provided this insight:
“Concerned about Covid on public transport. I now always drive in when I work in the office & have not taken a bus since early in the year”.
When asked about their likely / proposed to and from work / study movement arrangements in 2021 and beyond, the percentage of public transport users had increased to 30%, which is almost the same percentage as pre-Covid-19 levels.
Also to note there was a slight decrease in people intending to drive and a slight increase in people intending to cycle in the future.
The results show people are intending to return to their pre-Covid-19 mode of choice. However, as there will potentially be less people in the workplace / place of education, there will also be less people moving on our movement networks (roads and public transport).
LIVING AND CONNECTIVITY
A high majority of people are interested in staying in their area (81%), with 6% interested in moving to Adelaide’s inner suburbs and 10% interested in moving to a regional town / area or a green / sea change. 3% were interested in moving to the Adelaide’s outer suburbs (69 responses). One respondent provided this insight:
“Don't forget to recognise the great escape from the city to regional South Australia. Remote working from home or a hub, enables people to escape the city and live in small country towns or regional locations”.
When asked if they were more likely to move house because they are more likely to study / work from home, 81% replied no (69 responses). When asked if their current housing arrangements were suitable for long term working / studying from home, 68% replied yes (69 responses).
A high percentage of people (84%) thought their internet connection was sufficient for working / studying at home. 12% thought it was insufficient but they were happy to work / study from home and only 4% stated they would rather return to their place of work / study due to their internet connection (67 Responses).
When asked if working / studying from home will influence the selection of their next home in terms of housing design, 68% of respondents replied that it would (69 Responses).
It also appears Covid-19 has changed perceptions about medium and high density, with 34% believing it is less safe from a health perspective (68 Responses).
In terms of being less or more likely to move interstate or oversees in the future, 69% replied there was no change to their intensions and 30% replied they were less likely to leave. Only 1% were more likely to leave (69 Responses).
Whilst respondents generally found their current housing arrangements and internet connection was suitable for long term working / studying from home, respondents also indicted working / studying from home arrangements will influence the selection of their next home (in terms of housing design). Further research on future housing designs – both in terms of housing types and housing design layouts should be explored. New housing suppliers (developers and builders) that incorporate home offices in their designs may be meeting an unrecognised demand and find a competitive advantage.
PRODUCTIVITY, HEALTH AND WELLBEING
In comparing their productivity to pre Covid-19 arrangements, 39% of respondents thought they were more productive and 54% thought there was no change to their productivity. Only 7% thought they were less productive (67 Responses).
In terms of working from home, 84% of respondents believed they now had greater flexibility and ability to manage their day-to-day / family / personal commitments (67 Responses).
Respondents thought there were significant benefits in working / studying from home. A number of respondents identified the benefits of less travel time and travel costs. One respondent provided the following insight:
“With heightened work from home capabilities, I have realised how more efficient working from home is, especially with the time savings from travelling.”
Another respondent provided this insight:
“No commute, less petrol, no need for so many work clothes, less washing, can sleep in, can work different hours instead of “9 to 5”, can be home for deliveries/repair people, better environment (lighting, airflow etc) than fluorescent lights and no windowed office, less meetings”.
Respondents also associated the elimination of the commute as an opportunity to spend more time with family and friends.
Some respondents identified fewer interruptions as a benefit whilst others noted fewer interactions with colleagues as a shortfall. One respondent provided this insight:
“Some parts of the day I was more productive given I had more sleep (as I did not have to account for travel time). However, no office small-talk throughout the day meant that I would work longer and get burnt out after working a couple hours straight”.
In comparing their physical health to pre Covid-19 arrangements, 28% thought their health was better, 37% thought there was no change and 35% thought it was worse (65 responses). In terms of mental health, 25% of respondents thought their health was better, 54% of respondents thought there was no change and 21% of respondents thought that it was worse (65 responses).
As movement was more restricted and there was less commuting to work, respondents thought their usual amount of exercise was lower, which impacted on their physical and mental health.
However, some respondents noted there was more time to program exercise sessions. One respondent provided this insight: “Flexibility in work time allows more time for exercising / plan for online fitness classes”. Other respondents felt they had become less active by December 2020.
The responses suggest there are many benefits and productivity gains with working from home flexibility. However, respondents had varying responses in terms of the impacts on their mental health and wellbeing, which suggests further research is required on the relationship between productivity and health and wellbeing, particularly for people working from home for extended periods of time.
URBAN MANAGEMENT
Participants were also asked about their interest in coordinated and connected rosters to better manage our urban environment. When asked - Would you / your workplace participate in specific arrangements that coordinate working from home arrangements (internal rostering) to manage the use of work spaces and facilities (to meet physical distancing requirements) in the future – 80% of respondents said yes (61 Responses).
When asked the same question about internal rostering (within the place of work / education) to reduce congestion on our roads and public transport, 79% of respondents said yes (61 responses).
67% of respondents were also interested in coordinating working from office / home arrangements with other work and study places across Adelaide (interconnected rostering) to reduce congestion on our roads and public transport during the working week (61 responses).
61% of respondents were also interested in coordinating working from office / home arrangements with other work and study places across Adelaide (interconnected rostering) to ensure a more predictable and stable worker population is the city across the working week (61 responses).
Participants were also asked which statement more aligns to their views:
“As more people are able to work and study from home and don’t need to travel to their work / place of study as often / at all, we can expand the urban footprint, build new houses and live further away from our place of work / study”.
"Even though more people are working and studying from home and they don’t need to travel to their work / place of study as often / at all, it is not a reason to expand our urban footprint, build new houses and live further away from our place of work / study”.
37% of respondents thought that the first statement aligned with their views and 63% of respondents through the second aligned with their views. The interpretation of this response, within the context of this survey, is linked back to the findings that a majority of respondents see themselves spending a majority of their time in their workplace / place of study and that they will still be commuting for 3-5 days a week and would likely be concerned about additional travel times. The interpretation of this response outside the context of this survey is that a majority of the respondents are more broadly aware of the negative impacts and dis-benefits associated with the expansion of our urban footprint and living further away from locations of employment and services.
SUMMARY
One respondent offered this comment, which captures the survey findings well.
“There are so many factors that influence how people will respond to this survey. The things I've learned from 2020 are that workplaces are better able to respond to the individual needs of employees than they previously allowed for or thought was possible and that a one size fits all approach needs to be reviewed moving forward. Also that work from home arrangements need to be carefully considered, with factors such as digital access, suitable work space, family structure, interpersonal connection, communing time/method and nature of work all contributing to how effective working from home will be. However we chose to move forward, the following will remain important - contact with other people, community structures that support interaction, access to green open space, opportunities for physical activity, engagement in activities that allow us to feel we have contributed/added value/been useful. It has also highlighted the value of being able to access these things locally and to place value in what we have.”
The experiences of 2020 have changed the way we look at how and where we work, study, move and live. The Urban Future Exchange (previously known as the Australian Institute of Urban Studies SA) has arrived at the following views:
1. Working and studying from home is here to stay and those places of work and study that support and offer greater flexibility will likely obtain better results from their employees / students (and perhaps a higher calibre of candidate if they can leverage flexible work arrangements as a benefit of working for the organisation – competitive staff/student advantage).
2. We are likely to move the same way (no mode shift). However, as we work and study from home more, we will commute less to places of work and study. Based on the survey we could consider a 10%-30% reduction in commuting going forward. Also, we will need to consider ways to increase demand and activity in employment and education areas to support businesses that currently provide services to worker and student populations. This will be particularly important for the CBD.
3. The experience has provoked people to re-look at their housing and living arrangements and that their next housing / living choice will be informed by an adjusted set of needs and preferences. Housing will need to be more suitable for working and studying from home arrangements.
4. There are significant productivity, financial and time saving benefits to working and studying from home. However, further research and analysis is also required to understand and maximise mental and physical health and wellbeing outcomes for people working and studying from home.
5. Personal experiences of 2020, as well as the State and Commonwealth Governments’ responses to the pandemic have potentially made our society more open to more coordinated and connected approaches to managing impacts, which has translated to the positive responses to the urban management questions. The opportunity is to leverage this new found appetite and look at ways to better manage our infrastructure and urban environment in a more flexible but also a more coordinated and integrated way.
The Urban Future Exchange (previously known as the Australian Institute of Urban Studies SA) encourages further investment and research into the Covid-19 experience and how we can better plan, develop and manage our cities and regions.
The Urban Future Exchange (previously known as the Australian Institute of Urban Studies SA) welcomes input from its members, public leaders, policymakers, stakeholders and the wider public and is open to further discussion on issues relating to urban planning and management.
The Event Living South Australia: How could we work, study, move & live post Covid-19? on 18 May 2021 will explore these concepts further.
TTILE
Post Covid-19 Survey Results: How will we work, study, move and live.
PUBLICATION DATE
May 2021
SERIES
Urban Update
REVIEW
Urban Future Exchange Board Review
PUBLISHER
Urban Future Exchange (previously known as the Australian Institute of Urban Studies SA)
[i] Starick, P Home is where the heart is for workers, Sunday Mail p. 12 February 14 2021
