What is flexible working?
‘Flexible working’ is where employers give flexibility to their staff on where, when and how long they work.
It may include part-time working or task-based work, where the employer is only concerned with results and tasks being completed and not with employees being in one place full time.
How does this change where people live in relation to their workplace?
Before the pandemic people commuted every day, or possibly three or four days a week when they were needed in the office. Nowadays, workers might only pop into the office for particular meetings or events as the need arises.
Instead of having to spend the whole day in the office for an hour-long meeting or a hands-on task, they can now just go to the office for that hour and go home again. For example, HR staff might need to go to the office when an employee has an issue or I.T. support for a hardware issue. They need to be near the office at all times, but not don’t need to be in the office otherwise and can work from home.
People don’t want to commute for two hours each way for these short tasks, so to make it feasible to work from home as much as possible they will want to live near to where they work.
How does this affect the demand for property in Royal Docks and London in general?
In order to enjoy this flexible working lifestyle, people will look to buy or rent property near to their workplace in London. This will drive demand for all types of homes where workers can get to work quickly by walking, cycling, on the bus or the tube.
Transport connections around Royal Docks are excellent with 11 DLR stations and a journey time to Central London of only 15 minutes. There is also the Emirates Air Line cable car, frequent river buses and the upcoming Crossrail.
With the huge working population in London, this trend of flexible working will continue to make the city an attractive place to live.
To take advantage of the surge in this demand and achieve the best price in selling your property, or to invest in this emerging trend, call our Royal Docks office today.