Study Reveals the State of Home Offices in 2021

Furniture World News Desk on 9/10/2021

Craftjack.com, the website that connects local home service professionals with homeowners, recently surveyed 1,520 Americans who have been working remotely during the pandemic to understand their experiences in improvised workspaces.

The study began by asking about time and money invested in home workspaces. The results showed 91 percent of people have done something to improve their workspace over the past year, and 90 percent have spent money as part of that process. 

More than half of those surveyed have invested in a new chair, and one in four have gotten a webcam. Also of note, 58 percent of respondents said their employer has chipped in either with money or supplies to support the development of their home workspace.

Where Remote Workers Work

Next, they asked where people are actually sitting and working. Not everyone has the luxury of a dedicated home office, and even when they do, it often needs to be shared with partners and children. Seventy-one percent of the people surveyed said they are “improvising” with respect to their workspace. One in three (32 percent) said they work from a proper office, but nearly as many (31 percent) say their bedroom is their office.

Two out of three remote workers (65 percent) have worked from their beds during the pandemic and one in three (35 percent) have worked from a closet. Some have made a habit of using these unorthodox spots: 45 percent work from a couch regularly; 38 percent work from a bed regularly; 20 percent work outdoors regularly; and 19 percent work from a closet regularly.

Without question, this is a world that would be unrecognizable to most professionals even a decade ago.

The Painful Truth About Working From Home

What price have we paid for all the improvised working in odd places and positions? A whole lot of physical pain. Seventy-four percent of people surveyed said they’ve experienced pain and discomfort while working from home, 81 percent experience it at least weekly and 51 percent experience it most days or every day. Most pain is felt in the back (56 percent), neck (54 percent), and shoulders (43 percent), but nearly one in three people (31 percent) experience hand and wrist pain as well.

Two out of three workers we surveyed (64 percent) say their body is less supported at home than it was at their office before the pandemic, 78 percent say they would use a more supportive chair if their employer paid for it, and 50 percent of remote workers say the physical pain of working at home is enough to make them long for a return to the office.

Methodology

 Between June 16 – 25, 2021, Craftjack.com surveyed 1,520 Americans who work entirely or primarily from home, in remote positions. Our respondents were 48 percent female and 52 percent male, with an age range of 18 – 68 and an average age of 37 years old. To read the full study, visit  https://craftjack.com/toolbox/remote-work-from-home-statistics-2021/.

About CraftJack

CraftJack is all about connecting local home service professionals with homeowners. We give contractors the tools they need for their business to succeed. We deliver real-time quality LEADS THAT WORK to our network of trusted contractors. We're passionate about seeing them succeed and are here to help every step of the way. For more information, visit craftjack.com.