Future of work
Office or home office? What employees want – and what their bosses want
Many employees think that working from home is great. But not necessarily for the reasons their bosses suspect.
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How many days of home office are ideal? What is the biggest advantage, what’s the biggest problem when working from home? A survey shows where employees and HR managers agree on the subject and where they do not.
“And how do you feel about working from home?” This question should not be missing in any interview for an office job today. Because many people have had good experiences with it in the last year and a half and no longer want to miss the opportunity. But how many home offices do employees imagine – and how generously do the bosses see the topic? What are the greatest advantages for employees and companies? And where is the potential for conflict lurking?
The recruiting software company Softgarden interviewed 3561 applicants and 251 HR managers on the subject. The main result: the home office has become indispensable even after the pandemic. Of all the applicants surveyed, only one in ten would like to work completely in the office again in the future. Eight out of ten respondents, on the other hand, prefer a combination of home and classroom work. Working exclusively in the home office is only desirable for 8 percent.
Home office – but how much?
With the desire for flexible work, applicants meet with open ears at many companies. Of the HR managers questioned, an overwhelming 99 percent are in favor of a mix of home and office. “A mixture ensures that you can continue to communicate informally in the office and get to know new colleagues. You are closer personally when you have met live. In the home office you can do work that requires a lot of concentration.” , a participant from the company comments on his answer as an example.
But what kind of mixing ratio do the participants imagine? Here, too, the answers on both sides are surprisingly close. The majority of applicants as well as company representatives would like to handle this flexibly “depending on personal needs or the needs of the company”. If a specific number is given on weekdays, two days of home office is the most common choice, followed by three days of home office. This in turn applies to both sides.
Fridge, breaks, kids
On the other hand, there are sometimes different views when it comes to the question of what the main advantages of the home office are. Of course, bosses and applicants alike most frequently name the omission of commuting and more flexible working hours. In addition, more than every second employee thinks that he has “nicer breaks” at home (53 percent) and that the supply is better because the refrigerator at home is nearby (57 percent). Only a minority of company representatives can understand these arguments.
The topic of children and the household is also perceived differently. While the bosses see “better ways of looking after the children” and “doing household chores” as big pluses of the home office for their people, they don’t want to know much about it. Just under every second employee has a head for the household during working hours and only one in four sees the possibility of childcare as an advantage. On the last point, however, many respondents gave no information at all – presumably because they have no children to look after.
When asked about the disadvantages of working from home, HR managers see significantly more negative aspects than their protégés. Eight out of ten bosses consider the lack of separation between professional and private life to be a problem, while only one in two of those affected see it that way. In addition, every second manager fears that the workforce cannot motivate themselves well at home – only one in four applicants sees motivation problems.
What role remains for the office after the pandemic? Here, too, there are slightly different ideas from leaders and subordinates. The HR managers see the office primarily as a place of collaboration, exchange within the team and also for regular lunches with colleagues. The interviewed applicants also emphasize the connecting function of the office. In addition, they also want the office to be a place for quiet and concentrated work – and to a much greater extent than those in charge of the company do.
There is definitely potential for conflict in this. Because many companies have not only become more open to the home office. Of course, you also think about how many office spaces will be needed in the future. Having a completely separate desk for every employee who only visits the office twice a week is probably not the idea.