New report shows people like working from home without clothes

Other novelties favoured by employees in South Africa include weekday lie-ins (42 percent), binge-watching Netflix (33 percent) and working outside in the garden or on a balcony (32 percent).

CAPE TOWN, December 8 (ANA) – A new global research conducted by a Russian-based cybersecurity Lab Kaspersky, has shown that people working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic have discovered some guilty pleasures that they would now like to keep, one being working in the nude.

According to the research which studied the behaviours of 8,000 small and midsize business (SMB) workers. Speaking of the opportunities opened up by working from home in South Africa, 15 percent of respondents said they liked working without clothes.

Other novelties favoured by employees in South Africa include weekday lie-ins (42 percent), binge-watching Netflix (33 percent) and working outside in the garden or on a balcony (32 percent).

As the working environment during the global pandemic shifted from secure offices to kitchen tables, workers met many difficulties balancing work and private lives, the report said.

According to the World Economic Forum (WEF), employees working remotely this year faced mental health and wellbeing challenges, such as childcare pressures and digital connectivity. Nevertheless, some office staff who switched to working remotely enjoyed this experience and discovered some guilty pleasures they now want to retain.

Head of Consumer Product Marketing at Kaspersky, Marina Titova said this lockdown turned out to be a two-way street for people whose job allows them to work from home.

“On the one hand, employees finally got a chance to forget about the downsides of big-city life and start working in a more comfortable atmosphere. On the other hand, they faced many challenges when struggling to remain productive, reorganising their workspace and developing new habits,” she said.

“When you work from home your privacy is put at greater risk, making it vital that you remember to take care of your digital security.”

Aside from working in the nude, which is still far from mainstream, Kaspersky said the majority of respondents benefitted from simply working in comfortable clothes: 66% got used to this lifestyle and would like to make it the norm in the future.

Saying goodbye to long commutes also made employees happier as they could wake up five minutes before work started, while many also enjoyed taking a nap during the day (42%).

Continuing to discover the perks of the new normal, 32% of people enjoy working outside in the garden or on a balcony, and 33% even manage to binge-watch Netflix at work. Other treats favoured by employees include more time for video games (15%), takeaway lunches (18%) and showering less (10%).

However, this newfound open-mindedness not only leads to profits but also to a certain level of responsibility when it comes to digital security. Having reliable security solutions across devices that workers use will be crucial in order to protect their individual privacy as they enjoy new ways of unwinding, the report said.

– African News Agency (ANA): Editing by Naomi Mackay