In fact, more than three quarters (78%) said that January’s arctic blast made working conditions uncomfortable. 

The Sky Connect study of 1,000 freelancers and remote workers in the UK found that nearly half (48%) have felt forced to work from an alternate location - including their local cafe, pub, or library - at least once due to the cost-of-living crisis.  

When asked, remote workers cited saving money on heating costs (57%), saving money on energy bills (70%), avoiding commuter costs (27%) and not having to pay for expensive co-working spaces (27%) as the main reasons for turning to these alternate hospitality locations. 

With the rising cost of living continuing to put a strain on the UK, remote and freelance workers are seemingly turning to small businesses for a warm and cost-effective place to work. But 72% said that in spite of relying on these alternate venues, unreliable connectivity has been a big concern when choosing where to work from. 

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. 70% said that they’d be more likely to work from alternate locations like their local cafe more regularly at least once a week, if they offered reliable guest WiFi. 

Stacey Hill, Director of Sales and Operations at Sky Connect said: “The cost-of-living crisis is a huge concern for consumers and small businesses alike. But for those spending the most time at home, increasing energy bills are understandably putting a strain on personal finances. Whilst it’s great to see these workers supporting their local small businesses during an increasingly challenging time for hospitality, it’ll be important that SMEs create a working environment that keeps these more regular customers coming back. This means offering a reliable and secure guest WiFi service that improves customers overall experience”. 

To support its small businesses in providing a safe and secure working environment to customers, Sky Connect has today launched its new Sky Connect Hub and automatic 4G backup with new capability including advanced cybersecurity and guest WiFi. With the guest WiFi capability, Sky Connect customers will be able to create a separate password protected network for visitors to their business premises. And, with SecurityEdge, customers will benefit from an advanced cybersecurity layer, with threats automatically scanned for every five minutes to protect any device connected to WiFi against risks such as malware and phishing.

The Hub features WiFi 6 technology - Sky Connect’s most powerful WiFi connection - which is one of the latest WiFi solutions available in the market able to power up to 100 devices. The product is made from 85% recycled plastic and is Sky Connect’s greenest ever WiFi hub.