One welcome phenomenon that was borne from the coronavirus crisis was the shift towards working from home. In fact, it has become so popular amongst employees in Germany that a quarter of them never want to go back to the office.

Germans want to continue to work from home

Since its arrival in Germany, coronavirus has reshaped how society lives and works. We’ve had lockdowns, distance regulations, facemask requirements and, of course, calls for employees to work from home wherever possible. While employers were initially hesitant to allow employees to work from home, employees were happier with the idea and now many of them don’t want to go back to the office.

A recent YouGov survey, undertaken for an international energy supplier, Eon, has revealed that 71 percent of people in Germany would like to be able to work from home in the future. This has risen significantly since May last year, when only 58 percent of people said they would like to be able to work from home in the future. The survey also revealed that 26 percent of respondents would like to continue working from home permanently, whilst 45 percent would like to switch between the office and working from home several times during the week.

Commuting is putting people off

Commuting to work and other related issues are some of the most important reasons for the rise in popularity of the home office. According to the survey, 70 percent of respondents said the time saved from not having to travel to work was the reason for wanting to work from home. More flexible working hours was given as a reason by 57 percent of respondents, whilst 52 percent of people mentioned the saved travel costs, and 43 percent reasoned that working from home provided some relief to the environment.

The survey also highlighted an apparent disdain for returning to the office, with one in five people saying they would quit their job if they had to return once coronavirus restrictions are lifted. Another 14 percent said they would accept a cut of 1 to 5 percent of their salary if they were able to choose flexibly between working from home and going to the office, whilst 7 percent said they would consider wage cuts of between 6 and 10 percent. However, a good 69 percent of respondents indicated that they would not consider cutting their wages.

The survey also revealed that 46 percent of people expect the federal government to introduce regulations that guarantee employees are able to, at least partially, work from home.