Shed Offices Are The Way Forward

Remote work is increasingly becoming more commonplace, and with it comes the rise in shed working. Yes, shed working has taken off – big time! 

Which is why shed working insurance cover is more important than ever.

Since Covid-19, Henshalls has seen a real surge in enquiries about home insurance cover and whether it will protect employees who have seen their working environment transformed.

And it's an important question to ask.

Figures show that there are 1.6 million remote workers regularly working from garden office buildings and other places in their home last year, with 1 in 16 of the UK workforce working from home.

The report showed 4 out of 10 homeworkers are women, with 16 to 19-year-olds least likely to work from home, and the over 60s most likely.

I am the perfect example of those who have changed their working lives for the better, reducing our commute to just a few steps across the lawn to our shed office.

Obviously working at the bottom of your own garden has its pluses and minuses. For me, it’s a calm and peaceful environment where I can escape from the madness of our house full of teenagers and dogs!

But running a successful enterprise from home is hard work – whether it’s just working on a laptop or it’s as grand as running a beauty salon in the spare room. Entrepreneurs have to be motivated and committed.

It’s all too easy to get distracted by thinking “I’ll just put another load of washing in,” or “I’ll nip to the post office while it’s quiet” – not that you’d ever catch me doing that of course (okay, busted!).

But there are other risks that working from home brings too: an accidental flood or a break-in could have serious consequences and you need to have the right insurance cover in place.

In fact, it can take up to a month for a home-based business or garden room worker to get fully operational again after being the victim of a crime.

And of course, if you can’t work, you’re losing money which could lead to potentially critical cashflow problems.

You probably already have contents and buildings insurance in place through your home policy, but here’s the good news: a specialised shed working insurance policy available will cover every eventuality.

So whether you’re a graphic designer, a painter, a writer, jewellery maker or even a pole dancer (yes, really! There’s a business owner that teaches pole dancing from their shed!), the cover will meet your needs perfectly.

Isn’t it time you cleared out those sun loungers and the broken lawnmower (and all those pesky spiders!) and reclaimed your shed? That precious shed office could be a little gold mine!

Sally