Are you a working from home convert, or would you rather get back to the office? Either way, many of us are likely to be working remotely for the foreseeable future now that an apparent second wave of Covid-19 is taking hold of the UK. The government’s back-to-work message has changed again – but what if your home working setup isn’t ideal either?
Perhaps it’s where you live that’s the issue. A new study has revealed the worst major UK cities for home workers based on key factors that contribute to a successful day of working from home. Residents in London, Cardiff and Sheffield may want to look away now…
The research was carried out by instantprint, printers of flyers, leaflets and more, and analysed data on connectivity, property and cost of living. Read on to learn which cities rank as the least desirable for home workers, and what factors are behind their lowly scores.
London
The capital stands as the largest city in the UK and one of the world’s leading business hubs. Talent flocks to London from all over – but extortionate living costs make it less appealing now lots of us are stuck at home.
Average monthly rents of £1.6k, a cost of living of £831 per month and cramped living conditions could force some to question whether the draw of London is still worth it.
Cardiff
Second-bottom of instantprint’s working from home rankings is another capital – Cardiff. The Welsh city offers poor connectivity, with average internet download speeds of 50.9 Mbps and 4G signal strength of 17.7 Mbps.
Though not the worst on the list, home workers in Cardiff are likely to experience a few technical issues now and again.
Sheffield
There are even slower connections to be found in Sheffield however, with average internet download speeds of 39.3 Mbps ranking as the worst in the UK. And with an average overall size of just 61 m², the properties here are the smallest on the list too.
Affordable housing and cost of living are redeeming features for the Steel City, however.
Bristol
Though not on the level of London, Bristolians are likely to resent average monthly rents of just under £1k and average property prices of £282,400. Famed for its creative scene, the city also lacks fast internet, with average speeds of just 53.4 Mbps.
Bournemouth
Another southern England representative, Bournemouth’s average internet speed of 49 Mbps is some way off the pace. The area’s desirability also means that average property prices and rents are high – though workers may take solace in being able to nip to the beach on their lunch break.
With home working likely to transform the way we work even after the virus is brought under control, many may give more thought to some of the factors discussed above. Could we see fewer people moving to cities altogether?
