In light of the pandemic, Claire Baldwin takes a look at how our perceptions of home working have changed, and whether this will change the future of the creative industry.

With 20 million British workers having made the switch to home working thanks to the pandemic, home working has become a hugely popular subject in just about every industry.

But how have the last few months changed our impression of working from home? And, as members of the creative industry, what does this mean for the future?

Perception: Creatives can’t work remotely

It’s true that there are some jobs that cannot be done remotely. There are also many jobs that are perfectly well suited to home working, and the creative industry is full of them.

It’s 2020 (in case you hadn’t noticed). A huge amount of what we do is online or in digital formats. As long as everyone involved with a project has access to a computer and the internet, there’s actually very little reason to all get together in the same room. Us creatives have been using Skype, Zoom, Slack and Trello to communicate with colleagues and track projects since long before the pandemic. Trust me; we’ve got this.

Perception: Creatives will get distracted at home

Actually, a lot of us creative types find the hustle and bustle of office life to be a huge distraction.

While it’s great to catch up with friends and enjoy a little human company, there are also many things in the workplace that are simply an annoyance. Sometimes, we just need a little peace and quiet. Trying to come up with a snappy tagline while someone is regaling the office with tales from their trip to the South of France is all but impossible.

Perception: Creatives are lazy and unmotivated

We’re a pretty dedicated and passionate bunch. If you know a creative, you can all but guarantee that they do what they do because they love it.

Taking that passion and turning it into a career takes discipline. Sure, we can run into a little creative block from time to time, but it’s our love of the craft that keeps us going. We’re the people who are up at three in the morning sketching out ideas because it’s the only way to get it out of our brains. You usually can’t stop a creative from creating.

Home working and the creative industry

While some companies have been reluctant in the past to allow it, the unexpected shift to remote working over the last few months has given employees a chance to prove themselves.

Employers have reported an increase in productivity in home workers compared to their office-based counterparts, while employees have saved time and money on commuting, spent more time with their families, and generally experienced less stress.

For creatives in particular, these benefits can have a hugely positive impact on their work, giving them the mental and physical freedom to work when inspiration hits—and to not get bogged down in meetings that could have been emails.

We believe that more and more companies in the creative industry will continue to embrace flexible working, and that they’ll see huge benefits in doing so. That’s not to say that the office is completely a thing of the past for creatives, but giving employees more freedom to choose when, where and how they work will yield happy, efficient employees—and satisfied customers.