Something for the weekend: If you’ve ever fancied a change of scenery to the Great British seaside when working during the summer months, or indeed on a permanent basis, it turns out you’re not the only one!
Office and flexible workspace provider International Workplace Group’s (IWG) analysis of more than 300 UK locations found that coastal locations such as Cardiff (50%), Fareham and Liverpool (46%), Aberdeen (29%) and Exeter (19%) have seen large footfall increases over the past two years.
The research also highlighted that many workers chose to leave cities for the coast during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, with just under two-thirds (63%) having moved jobs to live and work by the coast.
Among workers that have moved to the coast, flexibility is vital to their job satisfaction. Eight in 10 (83%) said they would look for a new job if they had less flexibility, or were mandated back to a central office five days a week (78%).
In addition, 90% of respondents said they are more productive working in a hybrid model, with up to 69% saying they regularly use flexible workspaces on the coast. This rises to 74% among 18-24-year-olds.
The research also found that since moving to a coastal town, hybrid workers have reported a better quality of life (75%), a healthier lifestyle (68%) and improved work-life balance (67%).
Mark Dixon, chief executive officer of International Workplace Group, said: “Hybrid working has reshaped where and how people choose to live and work. Freed from the need to commute into a city centre [headquarters] HQ five days a week, many employees are now relocating to coastal towns that were previously out of reach. This shift is not only improving quality of life for employees but also delivering an economic boost to these communities as new residents bring spending power and demand for services.”
Sounds like being and working beside the seaside is just the ticket to improving work-life balance and wellbeing!
