The New Normal and Covid Living Arrangements
The New Normal: Covid Living Arrangements
In the past year, life as we all once knew it was completely altered in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Affecting every single person on the planet in many ways and dominating 2020 with destructive impacts, from full country wide lockdowns affecting mental health, economic turmoil and the loss of many livelihoods and the ultimate tragedy in the significant loss of life witnessed and mourned.
It is absolutely no surprise that many are looking forward to welcoming back some normality and saying goodbye to the face masks that hide our smiles and the lockdowns that keep us socially isolated. However, amid all the chaos and devastation Covid-19 has presented the world’s working environment with new opportunities and flexibility that will see the high -stresses and fast-paced commuting life swapped out for a more accommodating hybrid system, proposing a mixture of zoom calls in jogging bottoms and a trip to the office a handful of times – but how will this affect our living arrangements and could Romal Capital properties provide the perfect investment opportunity?
Working From Home
23rd March 2020 the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, announced the first lockdown which triggered the start of a nationwide – where applicable – embrace of “working from home”. According to the National Office for Statistics, in April 2020 47% of people in employment were actively engaging in work from home and of that 47%, 86% were working from home as a direct results of the pandemic and the government advice. The study also found that occupations requiring higher qualifications such as a university degree were more likely to provide home-working opportunities than elementary and manual occupations that cannot be physically carried out at home.
The benefits of “working from home” have been widely understood and recognised throughout the UK from offering employees a better work life balance to saving money on not commuting every day. Businesses have also felt the positive effects and benefitted from making savings on rental costs and experiencing an increase in productivity and performance with happier employees. In a study conducted by professors from the University of Strathclyde and Manchester revealed that 78% of respondents said they would prefer to work in the office for only two days or less.
Subsequently, many businesses are now hiring under the newly adopted “hybrid system” fostering the flexible working from home style with the opportunity to still meet in the office on a more adaptable approach. This not only opens up the talent pool for businesses who can now recruit from all locations in the UK but also allows employees more flexibility and choice when deciding where they want to live.
Mental Health
One of the biggest themes highlighted to the nation during the pandemic was the need to be more aware of our mental health and understanding the consequences of how certain factors impact this and what can be done to mitigate the negative results. The National Counselling Society lists a few environmental factors that are known to have a negative impact on mental health from a lack of access to green space to lack of visual stimulation. However, blue spaces are considered to be boosters of positive mental health and a factor to consider as a result of post-covid living flexibility.
According to a review and analysis conducted by The Conversation, blue spaces were shown to lower stress and anxiety, while boosting people’s mood and psychological wellbeing, and with Strutt & Parker reporting 26% of under 35s and 36% of 35 to 39 year olds actively looking to live near water within 5 years, Romal Capital’s waterside properties offers the perfect peaceful living solution for many young professionals.
Accessibility & Transportation Links
Another key factor to consider as a result of the “new normal” flexible living would be ensuring a central and easily accessible location, with strong and solid transportation links to ensure that for those days where office work may be required, it is still achievable.
The North West is an area connected to the rest of the UK through veins of excellent motorway links with the M57 & M62, international airports such as Liverpool John Lennon and Manchester less than 45 minutes away and fast railway links with connections to London in under 4 hours. Liverpool is the heart of this Northern territory with additional ferry terminals and is an attractive and convenient location for ensuring fast and easy commuting.
Romal Capital’s waterfront properties based in the central L3 location of Liverpool offers young working professionals a healthy and enviable work life balance, with the calmness and serenity of waterfront living married with the hustle and bustle of a city packed with life and entertainment amenities and easily accessible transportation links. Liverpool provides the perfect location to live, work and play as the nation emerges from lockdown and welcomes the new normal.
