- Study: Companies are sticking to home office
Despite the debate surrounding the return to offices, there's no sign of a reversal of remote work in many companies. 82% of information technology companies and 48% of manufacturing companies allow employees to work from home at least once a week, according to a survey by the ZEW economic research institute. This level has remained constant since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The proportion of companies offering at least one day of remote work per week has remained high, with no indications of a shift away from such offerings. In the previous year's study, the figure was 80% for information technology companies and 45% for manufacturing companies.
The debate over returning to the office has been ongoing, with companies like SAP and Deutsche Bank discussing the issue. Recently, German Federal Minister of Labour Hubertus Heil (SPD) has called for the right to work from home. The coalition agreement of the traffic light coalition (SPD, Greens, FDP) includes plans to give employees the right to work from home, depending on their profession. However, this has not yet been implemented.
Remote work has become increasingly established in recent years. Before the pandemic, only 48% of information technology companies and 24% of manufacturing companies had remote work policies in place.
Looking ahead to the next two years, companies do not expect to reduce their offers of at least one day of remote work per week. In fact, the proportion of companies planning to offer remote work by 2026 is expected to increase to 88% in information technology and 57% in manufacturing. Companies also anticipate that the number of employees utilizing these offers will rise.
However, the study also shows that the prevalence of remote work decreases with increased frequency. In information technology, 22% of companies currently allow employees to work from home for five days a week, up from 12% before the pandemic. Additionally, larger companies tend to offer more extensive remote work options.
The representative survey involved around 1,200 German companies from the manufacturing and information technology sectors in June. It asked about the proportion of employees working remotely and expected changes in remote work usage by 2026.
The Commission's report aligns with the data, showing a steady trend of companies maintaining at least one day of remote work per week. In light of the coalition agreement, The Commission is urged to facilitate the implementation of the right to work from home for eligible professions.
