Business
Home-working can increase productivity
THE KEY to productivity is being left alone, making sure your house is tidy and heating your work room to 20 degrees.
Not having to commute, being able to stay in your pyjamas all day and being exempt from tea rounds are among the biggest perks of working from home, according to a study released today by smart heating experts, Drayton.
Researchers polled 2,000 people who work from home and identified the benefits of doing so – including the avoidance of office politics and annoying colleagues.
However, it comes with distractions too – with the most common being daytime TV, social media and household chores, such as emptying the washing machine. Other common diversions include taking parcel deliveries, cleaning the house and internet shopping.
Commissioned by Drayton, makers of the brand new multi-zone smart heating system, WISER and part of Schneider Electric, the research also found those working from home are typically distracted six times a day.
A spokesman for Drayton said: “Our research aims to shine a light on what it’s like to work from home – and as it shows, there are plenty of benefits. Arguably the biggest challenge they face is staying focussed; there are plenty of potential distractions. However, analysis of our findings shows those who work from home feel they are as effective if not more so as those who work in traditional workplaces such as offices.”
Carried out through OnePoll.com, the research found 30 per cent find it easier to get work done when working from home – compared to working in their usual workplace. In addition, 54 per cent said they feel happier working from home than they do working in a traditional workplace such as an office – and around two thirds find it less stressful. In fact, on a typical day those polled will send 22 emails, make 13 phone calls – spending 2 hours and 23 minutes on the phone – and send 14 instant messages.
Further advantages to working from home include being able to have the radio on, flexible working hours and saving money on childcare.
The research also found the largest proportion of those surveyed – 36 per cent – do all their work from the living room and 26 per cent do it from the home office. However, 13 per cent work from the kitchen, around 1 in 10 work from bed – and some even work from the bathroom. Flexibility seems to aid productivity!
The key to being productive when working from home, according to 43 per cent of those polled, is being left alone. 34 per cent think having a dedicated workspace is important, for 35 per cent having a tidy house is vital, and 25 per cent like to have natural lighting – things workers often cannot individually control in an office environment. 1 in 5 say being in their own surroundings is the key to being effective, and 25 per cent like to have music on in the background.
Christmas has arrived early for The Range stores in Wales, boasting gigantic displays of all-things festive! The Range is well known for going all out during the Christmas season to create a fun and magical experience full of trees, lights, decorations and much more for their customers to enjoy and this year is no exception. The Range in Swansea surpassed expectations with a display so great, it’s left them shortlisted for ‘Best Christmas Display’ out of all The Range’s 182 stores.
Following extensive consultation with mortgage brokers and customers, Swansea Building Society has unveiled a new mortgage product specifically designed to offer medical professionals enhanced terms and a better deal.
The Medical Professional Mortgage Product is designed specifically for cases where the applicant, or one of the applicants in the case of a joint mortgage, is a medical doctor, surgeon or dentist. They might be looking to purchase a property, re-mortgage from another lender, or raise capital against equity in a property.
This new product also allows customers to borrow a higher amount against their income compared with standard mortgage products, subject to meeting affordability rules. Sole customers will be able to borrow up to 5.5 times their sole income (the standard criteria is a multiple of 4.5) while joint customers will be able to borrow up to 5.0 times their joint income (the standard criteria is a multiple of 3.5).
The new product was made available to customers from October 1, 2020.
Alun Williams, chief executive of Swansea Building Society, said:
“We are constantly reviewing what we do based on feedback from customers, brokers and our wider analysis of the mortgage landscape to ensure we are competitive where relevant in the current market.
“In this case, we wanted to develop a product that would reflect the current and future earnings potential of some of our clients who work in the medical profession. We are delighted to be able to roll this product out; we have already had very good feedback from our network of brokers.”
BAUER MEDIA is proud to today detail a new local initiative that Greatest Hits Radio and The Wave will launch within Swansea and South Wales aimed at helping local workers, charities and businesses as they deal with the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Swansea Sound will lead the ‘Getting You Back to Work’ campaign, as it relaunches as Greatest Hits Radioin September. The scheme, which will also run across sister station The Wave, aims to promote local job opportunities both on-air and online. Local employers will be encouraged to submit vacancies for inclusion, allowing them to reach a wide audience of local job-seekers free of charge. Job vacancy bulletins will be broadcast four times a day to local audiences and will be promoted on the relevant Greatest Hits Radio and The Wave websites.
As Swansea Sound gets set to join the Greatest Hits Radio Network, it is also announced today that it will welcome esteemed broadcaster Simon Mayo to its line-up. The former BBC Radio 2 host currently hosts a daytime programme on Greatest Hits Radio’s classical sister station, Scala Radio. However, with this move he’ll be returning to his popular music roots as he presents a new weekend show. ‘The Album Show with Simon Mayo’ will be a weekly three-hour programme dedicated to the greatest albums of all time, including features that explore listeners’ record collections and a weekly Classic Album Countdown. This show aims to celebrate the good times and great memories albums bring as Simon plays their Greatest Hits.
Greatest Hits Radio, which will officially launch across Swansea and South Wales on 1st September, offers listeners the biggest songs of the 70s, 80s and 90s, celebrating music from iconic artists like Blondie, Queen, George Michael, Madonna, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie, Elton John and Whitney Houston. The station’s presenters will include a local weekday line-up as well as legendary broadcaster’s Mark Goodier, Paul Gambaccini, Simon Mayo, Janice Long and Pat Sharp on weekends.
Online applications for the ‘Getting You Back to Work’ campaign will open on the 1st September 2020. Employers looking to participate should email jobs@greatesthitsradio.co.ukfor more information on how to apply.
Graham Bryce, Group Managing Director – Hits Radio Network Brand,said, “As we look to the future, we’re very excited to add Simon Mayo to our weekend line-up. Simon’s track record speaks for itself and to have someone of his experience and status join the network adds a new dimension to the Greatest Hits presenter line-up.
“Alongside this, our stations continue to be committed to the local community and we’re proud to launch this initiative to provide a valuable boost at a time of great uncertainty and hardship. We know the pandemic has hit communities across the UK hard, and we want to use our privileged position to promote opportunities.”
