Who would have thought it? Demonstrably more stress in the home office!
Fewer breaks, more overtime, more frequent disruptions during free time: according to a study by the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), working in a home office often leads to greater stress. According to the study, 28 percent of home workers often work unpaid overtime. In addition, superiors expect one in three employees to be reachable outside normal working hours, for example on the cell phone. Both occur about twice as often as among employees who usually or always work at their employer's headquarters.
When does the workday begin and when does it end?
The boundaries between work and free time in the home office are often no longer clear. When working from home, you may be able to organize your own time more easily, but switching off becomes more difficult. The DGB is calling for a law that would make working from home binding for all employees. "With a legal regulatory framework for mobile working, the rights and self-determination of employees can be strengthened," said DGB head Yasmin Fahimi.
Nevertheless, employees in Germany no longer want to do without home office work. On the contrary, many prefer hybrid work models in the future. This is also the conclusion of a recent Bitkom study.
What used to be the exception is now the rule: working from home.
According to the study, which surveyed more than 1,500 employees in Germany, 50 percent of all employees currently work wholly or partly in a home office.
Current surveys on the subject of home offices are numerous and mostly produce similar results. For example, according to a survey of 1,000 employees by Civey and Cisco, more than three quarters of Germans would like to continue working hybrid after the end of the corona-related home office obligation. Specifically, 76% would like to work from home for at least one day. Only 16% would like to return to the office completely. The home office potential seems far from exhausted. According to Statista, over 70% of Germans are in favor of a legal right to home office.
At the same time, however, factors that previously received less attention in a traditional day at the office are gaining in importance. Conversations with colleagues at the coffee machine, for example, are just as much a thing of the past as direct communication with superiors or customers.
