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Despite Working More Hours, Professionals Say They Hope WFH Stays Post-Coronavirus

Today we have two surveys from our friends at Fishbowl to share with you, conveniently enough they have a bit of overlap so we figured why not just make a big ole survey sandwich.

First off, Fishbowl surveyed more than 16,000 professionals across a variety of industries, including accounting, and asked a simple question: Are you working more or less hours per week since the quarantine started?

The question could be answered only with one of the following:

  • >10 hours More
  • 6-10 Hours More
  • 1-5 hours More
  • Same
  • 1-5 hours Less
  • 6-10 hours Less
  • >10 hours Less

Of those surveyed, 55.05% reported working between 1-10 hours more than they normally would while at the office. Here’s the breakdown:

Graphic via Fishbowl

Now, Bramwell and I discussed these results briefly and as seasoned work-from-homers we have a theory. I’ll be blunt: it’s ridiculously easy to lose track of time when you work from home. It requires a kind of discipline that surely I and no doubt many others lack, leading to a number of “oops I’ve been playing Fallout for four hours straight and didn’t get my work done” type incidents over the years. Add in day drinking, jerking off, kids being home from school, and the innumerable other significant factors at work to make quarantine chaotic and you’ve got a solid recipe for screwing off the day. Next thing you know it’s 7 p.m., and while it feels like you’ve been working all day, it’s entirely possible you lost countless precious billable hours to meandering around the kitchen, extra lengthy bathroom time, a quick wank, and yes maybe even a little gallivanting around the Wasteland (or your virtual world of choice).

Of the Fishbowl users at accounting firms, 54% are working more hours since quarantine started.

Graphic via Fishbowl

Despite more than half of accounting professionals surveyed reporting that they’re putting in more time since national work from home started (for most, anyway), 59% said yes, they would work from home permanently if their firm allowed it. In a separate survey, Fishbowl asked more than 17,500 professionals across various industries, “If your company approved, would you choose to work from home permanently?” and 55% of survey respondents said yes. Of those, 59.37% of female respondents answered that they would choose to work from home permanently, while 50.52% of the males surveyed said that they would prefer this option. Go ahead and float your theories as to why that might be.

Graphic via Fishbowl

Although it’s too early to say what exactly a post-Rona working world will look like, we think it’s a pretty safe assumption that very few will be rapidly returning to the way things used to be anytime soon. So fire up that PS4, make yourself a drink, and settle in, it’s likely to be a long ride whether you want it to be or not.