A fifth of Brits are guilty of gardening and doing DIY whilst working from home, according to new findings. TonerGiant surveyed 2,000 hybrid workers to find out what the UK’s workforce is really getting up to when working from home.

Not only did the pandemic change working culture in the UK, normalising hybrid working in most industries, but it also led to an increase in gardening and DIY. 

As the country was forced to stay home, 7 million turned to gardening and online sales of home improvement products grew by almost 50%. And clearly, the impact of the pandemic is still at play. 21% of hybrid workers admitted to getting their hands dirty on the clock, making the most of being at home with some gardening or DIY. 

It was also uncovered that workers living in Scotland are the most likely to pick up a trowel or hammer during working hours, with more than a third (35%) of locals admitting to doing DIY or gardening within the last year. That’s 14% higher than the national average.

Male employees are almost twice as likely to garden or do DIY when working at home - 27% of men admitted to this behaviour compared to just 16% of women. This is in line with TonerGiant’s general findings that men are 5% more likely to exhibit unprofessional traits than their female colleagues.

Staff in the 35-44 age bracket and those aged 65+ do gardening and DIY most often, whereas Gen-Z (18-24-year-olds) do this least. 

Not only are hybrid workers getting their hands dirty on the clock, but they’re looking for inspiration too. The data uncovered that a whopping 82% of Brits watch TV when working from home, and one in ten (13%) tune into Homes Under the Hammer.  

Commenting on the findings, Stuart Deavall from TonerGiant said: “Working from home has become a staple part of work culture in the UK, and comes with a lot of benefits. However, without your colleagues around to hold you accountable, and the many distractions which may be laying around your home, the temptation to procrastinate naturally rises.” 

“We uncovered that a fifth of British hybrid workers are guilty of doing DIY or gardening whilst working from home, which is even more common amongst male staff members and those living in Scotland.”  

“Despite the fact that a number of hybrid workers admit to gardening and doing DIY on the clock, studies suggest that performance is not impacted by working from home. There are many benefits of the hybrid model for staff too, with other reports indicating that workers adhering to this model are happier employees.” 

TonerGiant has released the findings to lift the lid on Brits’ “WFH” confessions. A full data hub containing findings on workplace confessions can be found here.