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Many employees expect home working to remain a permanent feature of business even after the corona pandemic. This was shown in a survey by Citrix among European office workers.

Research bureau OnePoll was commissioned by Citrix to conduct a survey of 3,750 European office workers in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands. It found that more than half of companies expect to struggle to attract and retain professional talent if they do not offer flexible and remote working options. Of the respondents, 41 per cent said they would only accept a position where remote working was an option. 44 percent even say that the government should actively encourage flexible working.

Positive effects of the corona pandemic

The corona pandemic seems to have a positive effect on employees rather than a negative one. According to Citrix, only 21 percent of employees feel the coronapandemic has had a negative impact on their careers, while 30 percent feel it has had a positive impact in terms of time management, flexibility and job performance.

Many respondents (38 percent) also say that the coronapandemic has had a positive impact on their private lives. Various reasons are given for this, such as no longer having to commute, which gives more time to spend with family, pursue hobbies or play sports.

Almost a third of the respondents prefer a hybrid solution. This allows the employee to work partly in the office and partly at home. Only 16 percent of employees indicate that they would prefer to work at the office every day again.

The fear of companies that employees will work less hard if they are not in the office turns out to be unfounded. Nearly 80 percent say they work at least as long as they do at the office, and 44 per cent even say they work longer hours.

Negative effects as well

However, there are also disadvantages to working from home. For example, 31 percent say it has had a negative impact on their mental health in the past year. 87 percent believe that a company culture that promotes the mental and physical well-being of employees is important.

“Despite all the challenges the pandemic brought, employees still see improvement in their personal lives and careers as a result of working from home,” said Peter van Leest, Regional Director Benelux at Citrix. “If people can find enough bright spots even under these difficult circumstances, we can continue to transform business after the pandemic. That’s how we create a new generation of happier employees who stay with organisations longer because they can work in a way that suits them best.”

“In 2020, organisations were focused on survival, not growth. In 2021, they need to look beyond the day-to-day operations and free up time and resources to look ahead. They should be able to position their organisation well in the post-coronation era and embrace hybrid working models where employees feel supported by their employer. A good corporate culture is essential to attract and retain professional talent. Organisations would therefore do well to put their corporate culture at the top of their priority list to become and remain future-proof.”

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