Cardiff ranked one of the UK’s worst places for home workers
Have you gotten used to working from home in the last few months? Almost half of us worked remotely in April according to Office for National Statistics data, yet a new study has revealed that the city you live in could influence your productivity – with Cardiff ranked one of the worst places for home working in the UK.
The results come from a study by instantprint, a company offering flyers, leaflets and other printed materials. Combining survey data with desk research, the team created a points system based on key factors for each city that contribute to a successful day of working from home.
With 69 points overall, Cardiff narrowly missed last place coming 19th out of 20 major UK cities. Only London’s total of 67 deemed it a worse place to work remotely. But what’s driving that lowly ranking, and how does Cardiff compare with other locations?
Why Cardiff is a poor location for home workers
If you’ve spent even a few hours working from home, you’re likely to be aware of how important your environment can be to your professional output. But the prospects don’t look great for Cardiff residents when analysing contributing factors such as connectivity, property size and the cost of living.
While not the slowest, average internet download speeds and 4G signal strength of 50.9 Mbps and 17.7 Mbps mean that you’re likely to experience some technical issues from time to time.
The average Cardiff property, meanwhile, has 2.4 rooms and covers just over 66 m². Though again not the worst performer on the list, workers can find more room to spread out elsewhere in the UK.
And when it comes to finances, an average property price, monthly rent and monthly cost of living of £211,900, £805 and £644 also make other locations more viable for home workers.
Jon Constantine-Smith, Head of instantprint, commented on the study:
“Working from home long-term, especially when it’s something we don’t have a choice in, can take some getting used to, and even more so if you’re limited on space and may not have the fastest internet speeds.”
How Cardiff compares with other major UK cities
So how do other UK cities perform? Belfast topped the charts with 105 points overall, a win thanks largely to excellent average internet speeds of 64.1 Mbps and affordable property and living costs. Birmingham and Nottingham round out the top three.
At the opposite end of the table, London suffers primarily due to soaring average rents and high costs of living. After Cardiff, Sheffield, Bristol and Bournemouth also fared poorly.
Are we enjoying working from home?
Though an increasing number were choosing to work from home before the pandemic hit, there’s no doubt the sudden transition will have come easier to some than others.
instantprint’s survey found around a third of us would happily work from home full time. A further third would prefer to go back to the office in some capacity.
A lucky 15% claim to have found the perfect work-life balance meanwhile – but 11% struggle with too many distractions. Only 16% work from a dedicated home office.
Jon added:
“It’s integral that we create a calm and comfortable working environment, ensuring we can make a clear separation between our work and home lives – even if they may be sharing a space for now.”