Relocation in a Remote-working age

If you’d have told us 3 years ago that the majority of our clients in 2021 would have been moving to the UK to work remotely from their home, we would have been shocked. Relocation in a remote working age is now the new norm.
Traditionally the relocation industry is one of many industries that exist to support the operations of global corporations. A relocation companies role generally supports HR Directors and HR Managers to assist them with the corporate move for global professionals and their families. Our role usually centers around finding locations right across Britain that are close to our clients place of work, however with the new trend of remote working and home working this just isn’t always quite the case.
What we have seen in the last 12 months or so is a complete shift in the dynamic of working arrangements between our clients and their companies. Due to the pandemic the current health advice from the government is that colleagues should no longer congregate in close proximity to one another, so employers have been actively encouraging their teams to work remotely. Other factors for an increase in home working behaviours is due to the rising rental cost of offices, increased time spent sitting in commuter traffic, and a societal change about creating healthier work/life balance.

Some companies, like Twitter, have recently announced that their employees will work from home indefinitely. Due to these changes we are increasingly being asked for ‘homes with office space’ as clients look to cement their home-working behaviours. According to a study by Warner Goodman after the covid pandemic eases only 1 in 10 employees wish to return to the office full time. The study also identified that most people would like to spend no more than 3 days in the working week at the office, so remote working is definitely a trend that’s here to stay.

 

Properties that clients are choosing are not always on the doorstep of their office as before. Many people are wanting to be much closer to green open space within a reasonable commute to their office should they occasionally need to visit. Most of our clients are satisfied to be close to public lakes, large parks and nature reserves but some have really strived to have a complete change of lifestyle and want to be out ‘’in the sticks’’ (our British colloquialism meaning to be in the middle of nowhere).

Households now have to now be completely suitable for clients to work smoothly. This means finding homes that have designated studies, or homes that come with converted garages and outbuildings – these spaces make for useful office space if you like to keep your personal life as separate as possible. Others prefer being close to cafes where they can work in an environment where they don’t feel too isolated. 

Having a great internet signal is also a necessity so we are constantly researching what locations have great Wi-Fi connections before the client even goes out on their property viewings.

Where the pandemic has impacted schooling by forcing many pupils to remain at home, clients are also increasingly searching for properties that will allow them to watch over their kids whilst working. With these types of moves it’s really important we find open plan living which gives enough space for the client to work whilst also monitoring their children and have a seperate area to home-school. 

 

Where in the UK is popular?

We’ve found that many Londoners are moving out to move leafy suburbs that are still within a commutable distance. Places such as Richmond, Surrey, Kent, Brighton, Sussex, Hampshire and Hertfordshire are popular. 

For those moving into the country, some tend to want to be in the city requesting areas like Kensington, Nottinghill and Mayfair in the capital so they can hopefully get to experience city life when it re-opens however they’re often also seeking green space too. Our remote-working enthusiasts often want to encounter village life so the Cotswolds and Bath are often frequent choices for their picturesque views and community feel.

But why the UK?

Our clients love the UK for many different reasons. Here’s just three of them:

– One of the top reasons is Britain’s close proximity to beautiful European destinations such as Paris, Madrid and Berlin, all reachable within a 1 or 2 hour flight. Other major reasons are because the UK, although relatively small in size, has the 6th largest economy in the world. 

– There are so many large corporations based in the UK who are willing to recruit talented executives from all over the world.

– Schooling and education. The UK is home to some of the best schools and higher education institutes in the world and a lot of our clients are keen to find their child a place at such prestigious institutions. School-search is a service we offer in addition to home-finding.

Our team has not stopped throughout the pandemic, we’d perhaps even go as far to say we have been even busier. So if you are considering a move to the UK or maybe you’ve already secured your dream job in the UK and are looking for relocation support, contact us today using the details below:

info@citrusrelocation.com

+44 (0) 203 303 3208

 

 

Sources:

Forbes

Warner Goodman

Study International