People working from home during the pandemic have discovered some guilty pleasures that they would now like to keep, according to new global research commissioned by Kaspersky, which studied the behaviours of 8,000 SMB workers.
Speaking of the opportunities opened up by working from home in South Africa, 15 per cent of respondents said they liked working without clothes.
Other “novelties favoured by employees in South Africa region” include weekday lie-ins (42 per cent), binge-watching Netflix (33 per cent) and working outside in the garden or on a balcony (32 per cent).
Kaspersky said in a statement, “As our working environment during the global pandemic shifted from secure offices to kitchen tables, we met many difficulties balancing work and private lives.”
According to the World Economic Forum, employees working remotely this year faced mental health and well-being challenges, such as childcare pressures and digital connectivity.
“Nevertheless, some office staff who switched to working remotely savoured this experience and discovered some guilty pleasures they now want to retain,” said the firm.
It added that aside from working in the nude, “which is still far from mainstream,” the majority of respondents benefitted from simply working in comfortable clothes.
The survey revealed that 66 per cent “got used” to this lifestyle and would like to make it the norm in the future.
“Saying goodbye,” said Kaspersky, “to long commutes also made employees happier as they could wake up five minutes before work started, while many also enjoyed taking a nap during the day (42 per cent).
The report said, “Continuing to discover the perks of the new normal, 32 per cent of people enjoy working outside in the garden or on a balcony, and 33 per cent even manage to binge-watch Netflix at work. Other treats favoured by employees include more time for video games (15 per cent), takeaway lunches (18 per cent) and showering less (10 per cent).
However, this newfound open-mindedness not only “leads to profits” but also to a certain level of responsibility when it comes to digital security.
Kaspersky explained having reliable security solutions across our devices would be crucial in order to protect “our individual privacy as we enjoy new ways of unwinding.”
Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky, Marina Titova, said, “This lockdown turned out to be a two-way street for people whose job allows them to work from home. On the one hand, employees finally got a chance to forget about the downsides of big-city life and start working in a more comfortable atmosphere.
“On the other hand, they faced many challenges when struggling to remain productive, reorganiing their workspace, and developing new habits. When you work from home your privacy is put at greater risk, making it vital that you remember to take care of your digital security.”
