Nine out of 10 small and medium-sized businesses in the region plan to continue with some form of remote working once the current health crisis is over.

Research from Leeds-based Hitachi Capital shows that 87 per cent of SME businesses in Yorkshire plan remote working post Covid-19.

An overwhelming 77 per cent of business owners at SMEs in Yorkshire agree that working from home during this period would help their business to become more successful in the future.

Just three per cent have any negative feelings towards home working continuing long term.

The remote working study also revealed the top positive outcomes for SMEs in Yorkshire during this experience were investments in new technology and that the experience had shown their businesses to be resilient.

Andy Dodd, inset, managing director at Hitachi Capital Invoice Finance, said: “Generally speaking, SME businesses in the UK have been cautious to implement a work from home policy up until now.

“Our study shows a new response to remote working which hints at what the future of the workplace might look like post-Covid-19.

“Of course, the benefits of remote working provide employees with a better work-life balance, the positive impact for both employee and employer through greater trust and empowerment cannot be understated.”

However, SMEs were also shown to be keen to keep some elements of office culture alive by arranging social events such as virtual yoga and team lunches.

Nine in 10 Yorkshire firms want to keep working from home after lockdown