German employers are becoming more and more inclined towards letting their employees work from home, according to a survey by the Leibniz Centre for Economic Research.

Working from home the new norm in Germany?

A survey from the Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research (ZEW) in Mannheim has revealed that more and more companies, from a variety of different industries, want to allow their employees to continue working from home at least one day a week after the coronavirus pandemic has passed.

Back in June 2020, researchers asked almost 1.200 companies from a number of different industries if they wanted to let their employees continue working from home at least once a week after the pandemic. At that time, 64 percent of the companies in the information and communication industry, including IT service providers, tax offices and advertising agencies, confirmed they would like to offer their workers the chance to work from home. One year later, the researchers asked the same companies again and, this time, 74 percent indicated they would like to allow employees to work from home.

Even the manufacturing industry has demonstrated a surprising acceptance of employees working from home. Before the pandemic, only 24 percent allowed employees to regularly work from home. In June 2020, this figure rose to 37 percent and now, around 46 percent of companies in the manufacturing sector in Germany expect to allow part of their workforce to regularly work from home. According to researchers, people primarily working in an administrative capacity will be allowed the opportunity to work from home, but with the ongoing digitisation of the industry, more people working in this sector might soon be given the opportunity to regularly work from home.

Employees in sales can also work from home

A previously unpublished study by the University of Bochum has shown that even people working in sales, who usually rely on close personal contact, could also reach their professional targets despite having to work remotely. According to the study, 97 percent of the 777 companies included in the survey achieved their sales targets in 2020.

Researchers also found that salespeople saved an average of 28 minutes due to the change in business practices. Instead of travelling by car to meet clients, meetings and sales pitches were arranged through video messaging services like Zoom and Skype, which not only saved time but CO2 emissions as well.

While many were initially worried about the switch to the home office due to a lack of proper technology or means of communication, the ZEW survey revealed that every third company in the information industry, and a quarter of companies in the manufacturing sector, provided additional smartphones, laptops and tablets for their employees.