Study: Companies stick to home office
12.08.2024 Source: dpa 2 min reading time
Providers on the topic
During the Corona pandemic, many employees worked from home. Despite current debates about returning to the office, a new study shows that home offices are established in many companies.
Home office is now standard for many companies in Germany.
(Image: Nightcorn – stock.adobe.com)
Despite the debate about returning to the office, many companies are not turning away from working from home. In 82 percent of companies in the information economy, employees work from home at least once a week, according to a survey by the ZEW economic research institute, which was made available to the German Press Agency. In the manufacturing sector, which is more tied to a specific location, the figure is 48 percent.
According to study director Daniel Erdsiek, the proportion of companies that allow their employees to work from home at least one day a week has remained at a consistently high level since the Corona pandemic. There are currently no signs of a move away from such offers, it said. In last year’s study, the figure was 80 percent for companies in the information industry and 45 percent in the manufacturing sector.
Debate about returning to the office
In recent months, there has been a debate about the return from home office to the office at companies such as the software group SAP or Deutsche Bank. Most recently, Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) also called for the right to work from home. The coalition agreement of the traffic light coalition stipulates that employees – depending on their respective profession – should be given the right to work from home. This has not yet been implemented.
Home office established since pandemic
The study also shows how strongly mobile working has become established in recent years: Before the Corona crisis, the proportion of companies with home office regulations in the information economy – which includes the information and communications technology sector, media service providers and knowledge-intensive service providers – was only 48 percent. In the manufacturing sector, the figure was 24 percent.
“Looking ahead to the next two years, companies do not expect to reduce offers of at least one home office day per week,” Erdsiek said. Quite the opposite: the proportion of companies that want to offer home office in 2026 is expected to continue to rise – to 88 percent in the information industry and 57 percent in the manufacturing sector. Companies also expect the proportion of employees who will use such offers to increase.
More home offices in larger companies
Despite the increase, the study also shows that the prevalence is decreasing with increasing frequency: In the information economy, for example, 22 percent of companies currently allow their employees to work from home five days a week. Before the pandemic, the figure was 12 percent. It also shows that companies with more employees also have a more extensive home office offering.
Around 1,200 German companies in the manufacturing and information industries took part in the representative survey in June. Among other things, questions were asked about the proportion of employees working from home and the expected changes in home office usage by 2026.
(ID:50129164)
Status as of 15.04.2021
It goes without saying that we handle your personal data responsibly. If we collect personal data from you, we process it in compliance with the applicable data protection regulations. You can find detailed information in our privacy policy.
Consent to the use of data for advertising purposes
I agree that Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planckstr. 7/9, 97082 Würzburg, including all companies associated with it within the meaning of Sections 15 ff of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) (hereinafter: Vogel Communications Group) may use my email address to send editorial newsletters. Lists of the respective associated companies can be found here can be retrieved.
The newsletter content covers products and services from all of the companies mentioned above, including, for example, specialist magazines and specialist books, events and trade fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as other (editorial) newsletters, competitions, lead campaigns, online and offline market research, specialist web portals and e-learning offers. If my personal telephone number was also collected, it may be used to make offers for the aforementioned products and services from the aforementioned companies and market research.
If I access content protected by law on the internet portals of the Vogel Communications Group, including its affiliated companies within the meaning of Sections 15 et seq. of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG), I must register with additional data to access this content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used for the purposes stated here in accordance with this consent.
Right of withdrawal
I am aware that I can revoke this consent at any time for the future. My revocation does not affect the legality of the processing carried out on the basis of my consent until the revocation. To declare my revocation, I can use the option provided under If I no longer wish to receive individual newsletters to which I have subscribed, I can also click on the unsubscribe link at the end of a newsletter. Further information on my right of withdrawal and its exercise as well as the consequences of my withdrawal can be found in the privacy policy, section Editorial Newsletter.
