Homeworking contributing to rising stress levels

According to the LifeSearch Health, Wealth and Happiness index, 52% of those under 35 said that homeworking makes them feel lonely, with a further 49% stating that they feel cut off from colleagues.

The research also shows a trend for increased working hours since the pandemic started. Just over a third of UK adults admitted this was the case, rising to 42% of younger people.

The key drivers of this were cited as greater job demands, time spent not commuting and that it is difficult to switch off from work at home.

Emma Walker, chief marketing officer at LifeSearch, said: “While working from home can bring many benefits, we have found that younger people in particular have struggled with this shift, both practically - they are more likely not to have a suitable home working environment - and emotionally, with feelings of loneliness and isolation higher in this age group.

“With younger people more likely to live alone, or to share with housemates or a young family, and therefore be competing over working space, it is perhaps understandable that this age group will have found it tougher to move to a home-based environment.”

LifeSearch’s research suggested that the struggles faced by many homeworking young adults could be a result of their home set up.

It highlighted that 34% of those working from home do not have a suitable place to work, a figure that rose to 37% among those aged between 18 and 25.

Nearly half of those with young children at home said finding a quiet space was difficult. Even those without admitted finding the peace and quiet needed to work effectively was a challenge – nearly a third said this contributed to their stress levels.