Quarrels in Quarantine: 2 in 3 Brits say working from home has already put a strain on their relationship, reveals survey.
- 8 days is the longest the average person admits they could work from home with their partner before things become tense.
- 72% say they do not have enough room to work comfortably from home if they live with their partner.
- Over half of respondents say working from home increases their productivity.
Let’s talk boundaries… At first, the prospect of working at home with your partner can seem exciting as you can spend more time together and sleep in for a few more minutes each morning. However, after a few days of being in one another’s space all the time, your relationship dynamic may start getting a little tense.
CherryDigital.co, a London-based public relations agency, conducted a survey of 3,800 Brits to find out how self-isolation due to Covid-19 – or Coronavirus – is affecting people’s relationships across the UK. It was found that a large majority – 68% – of respondents say working from home every day has already put a strain on their relationship with their partner.
Part of the reason could be that 1 in 10 people surveyed who are working from home now say they do not shower or bathe every day (16% of men compared to 6% of women). Also, 15% of respondents say they do not get dressed out of their sleeping attire each day. Perhaps not the best combination for romance!
Moreover, 63% of Brits who are working from home with their partner say they do not have enough room to both work comfortably. Whether this is due to the lack of space inside your home or the amount of equipment you require for your job, it is difficult to find a comfortable place to work within a space designed for living.
Many of us are aware of the difficulty that could come with self-isolation, however, some of us seem to be more prepared than others. The survey asked respondents which person in their relationship has taken the most steps to prepare for self-isolation and 72% of women said it was them. This is compared to 52% of men who said they have prepared the most.
It can be challenging to continue to work as usual from home as compared to working from your office, especially considering the number of distractions you face – such as TV, children and pets. Despite these distractions, 61% of respondents say working from home actually increases their productivity!
If your partner knows what makes you tick and you’re starting to feel like a time bomb waiting to go off, here are some tips on how to deal with the situation in a positive way:
- If you find yourselves having to work in close quarters, you can each use a pair of headphones to zone out and forget your significant other is in the room. This will allow you both to get through your to-do lists and organise your thoughts without having the other person distract you.
- Learn a new hobby together. Now is the perfect time to maximise bonding through activities such as cooking (buy your ingredients online to minimise contact) or learnth a new language.
- Spend at least an hour per day on some sort of exercise routine. There are tons of at-home workout videos available online such as yoga, HIIT, dance routines and pilates.
- Ease additional stress by keeping your home neat and tidy by splitting up the household chores.