With London’s transport network poised to go into meltdown following a decision to strike by all the major Tube staff unions, many of those who work in the city will be exercising their right to work from home.
Yet the evidence suggests that many employees won’t be putting in their ordinary hours when left to their own devices at home.
According to Lyst, an online shopping portal, traffic to their website from London-based users increased by almost 128 per cent during the strike in early July.
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That’s on top of the estimated £300 million-per-day cost which businesses leaders ascribed to the last strike, mainly due to people being unwilling to travel to entertainment venues and restaurants.
Lyst said there was a marked peak in its traffic at around 3pm – and attributed this to those “working from home” granting themselves a post-lunch break spent browsing on the sofa. In pictures: Tube strike in London
And the data also suggest people spent much of their day with their mind not on work, but on their upcoming summer holidays. Sandals, swimwear, beach accessories and sunglasses all showed marked increases in sales.
Finally, Lyst said there was a big increase in users buying trainers and other casual footwear – perhaps considering the prospect of having to walk to and from work in the future.
