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Home offi ce barometer 2020 Representative survey and trade union fi elds of action on working from home

This is syndicom!

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With a surveyby gfs.bern

#togetherathome 21

Home office barometer 2020 Representative survey and trade union fields of action on working from home

Content

489

121416

20212229

34353840434648

56

FOREWORDTermsThe pictures in this brochure

SUMMARY Overview of the results Fields of action

STUDY The method The respondents The companies

RESULTS Satisfaction Health Children Performance Costs Future

CONCLUSIONS AND OUTLOOK

4 5

Spring 2020, Switzerland in crisis mode. The coronavirus is paralysing large parts of public life. Work and school all of a sudden take place mainly in private homes.

For many workers and companies, the following weeks become an experimental laboratory for working from home. What many employers previously wanted to allow their employees to do only to a limited extent or hardly at all, at once becomes possible on a large scale: working from home, in their own four walls. Meetings that previously required office presence are now suddenly held online. Companies must learn to trust their employees even at a distance, and employees must try to maintain their private life when their working life takes place in their private sphere.

From one day to the next In this extraordinary situation, the adaptation to the new circumstances had to take place very quickly. There was no time to comprehensively regulate the new working conditions in such a way that they would be fair and reliable for both social partners. There is a need to catch up here.

Shortly after the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, the union syndicom decided to monitor the office situation at home “in real time” with a representative survey by the research institute gfs.bern. What works well when working from home? What works not so well? How should working from home be regulated in the collective labour agreements of the syndicom industries and their companies and at the political level?

Office at home: the establishment of a new way of working

FOREWORD

6 7

Nevertheless, the survey results provide many important clues as to the need for action in the area of labour law regarding working from home. With this brochure, syndicom is providing the groundwork for the urgently needed discussions and negotiations at a social partnership and at the political level.

Giorgio Pardini, Head of sector ICT, trade union syndicom and member of the management

It is obvious: the survey took place during a specific crisis situation, which may have influenced the answers. Those who were able to work from home during the coronavirus crisis were privileged and better protected from infection than health workers, retail salespersons or other occupational groups who kept on working outside and in direct contact with customers. Moreover, companies and workers were affected by the coronavi-rus crisis in entirely different ways. In some sectors and activities the workload decreased significantly during the crisis, while in others it increased significantly.

gfs.bern estimates that in the spring of 2020, approximately 335 000 people in Switzerland were working from home for the first time. For many of them, working from home – especially to such an extent – was a new experience, which was mostly perceived positively during the short survey period from April to May 2020. Whether and in what form fatigue symptoms would have occurred in the long-term when working from home cannot be ascertained by this study.

8 9

What was it really like working from home during the corona-virus pandemic? The photographer couple Remo and Lisa Ubezio, in an ambitious photo and text documentation, explored what syndicom tried to find out through a survey. When the Federal Council decided the lockdown on 16 March 2020, the freelancers in the creative industries became all at once practically jobless. Remo and Lisa Ubezio made a virtue of necessity and started the photo project “Together at home”. Between the beginning of April and the 10th of May, they portrayed 230 people in their home environ-ment and living community and had them talk about their experiences in their office at home. An illustrated book and an exhibition are planned for the art project. Six pictures from the series are featured in this brochure.

Website of the photo project: togetherathome.ch

Report from the office at home during the lockdown period

The pictures in this brochure

There are different terms for work that does not take place within the company. Remote work refers to work outside of a fixed workplace. Homework (also telework) represents a type of work with the workplace basically located in the private home. Working from a home office, which is the subject of this brochure, is used for occasional or temporary work at home, especially if it is administrative work.

Terms

What do we understand by home office?

10 11

Chantal, specialist in project and change communicationAlexis, Process Analyst

“We experience positively the realization of our employers that the working from home can function very well. We observe that meetings are better prepared and therefore more efficient.”

#togetherathome 55

12 13

Results of the home office barometer 2020 – and the union policy fields of action derived from them

SUMMARY

The interviewees: Between April and May, 1 126 adult residents of Switzerland who worked from home for at least one day in March and April 2020 were interviewed to survey their experiences with working from home during the coronavirus lockdown. 60 percent of the respondents have completely switched to working from home in the evaluation period. On average, their number of working hours at home has tripled compared to 2019: to approximately 32 hours per week. Almost two thirds of the respondents stated that more than one person per household worked from home. In these households, most of them worked simultaneously, only a few alternated with working hours.

The companies: 60 percent of the companies in which the respondents work had already enabled working from home before the coronavirus pandemic. 58 percent of the respondents said that their company was well prepared for the pandemic situation.

14 15

Satisfaction: During the lockdown, a majority of the respondents (80 %) stated that they were rather satisfied or very satisfied with their office situation at home. Persons who would like to continue working (partially) from home in the future were particularly satisfied.

Working hours: According to the respondents, the workload caused by the home office situation remained almost stable on average (- 0.8 hours per week) during the coronavirus crisis, although more than one third of the respondents stated that they had worked more hours. This revealed a wide range: 29 percent stated that they had worked between 40 and 47 hours per week at home during the lockdown, 9 percent even more than 47 hours per week.

The children: 68 percent of the respondents took care of their children themselves during home schooling. 31 percent did not take care of their children themselves. According to the self-declaration, no differences between sexes could be found here. However, a clear majority of respondents believe that working from home is not compatible with childcare.

The performance: When working from home, 62 percent rate themselves as more productive and 55 percent as more creative than at work at the company offices.

The costs: 45 percent of the respondents do not receive any cost compensation from the employer for working from home. Only 9 percent of the respondents receive full reimbursement from their employer.

Overview of the results

Health: Almost half of the respondents complained about poor work ergonomics at home (49 %). 34 % took too few breaks (especially women at 48 %), and almost one third had difficulty keeping track of working hours at home. On the other hand, working from home is perceived as stress reducing by 60 percent of the respondents. Finally, for 64 percent of them, working from home furthers the feeling of solitude.

The balance: the time saved by not having to travel to work is used privately (78 %) and professionally (68 %). Working from home helps 61 percent of the respondents to improve their work-life balance. The teamwork: The results are diverse. 71 percent of those surveyed lacked informal contacts within the team. 46 percent believe that team development is not possible in the home office situation. For more than 80 percent of those surveyed, however, communication and cooperation within the team basically worked well.

The future: In the future, respondents would like to see more know-how (90 %) and better infrastructure (86 %) for digital collaboration. In this context, 65 % agree with the statement that only a strong public universal service guarantees a good infrastructure for digital collaboration. Respondents also want more flexible working models in terms of location (89 %) and time (78 %). Around 90 % of those surveyed say that working from home reduces traffic congestion and can contribute to environmental protection.

16 17

Fields of action

Working from home is a social and increasingly also an individual need that companies have to take into account. syndicom is committed, on the level of social partnership and in politics, to ensure that employees who wish to work from home can do so. On the other hand, as a rule there must not be one-sided pressure to work from home. Feedback on satisfaction with working from home during the lockdown should be treated with caution due to the special situation and the rather short-term experience of many people concerned. Nevertheless, some important fields of action can be identified in relation to working conditions at home.

Working time: The majority of the respondents state that they work more productively and efficiently in their home than at the office. There are fewer interruptions, less time for informal conversations, but at the same time, there are signs that the work intensity in the home office is increasing even more. Against this background, a reduction in working hours when working from home is to be considered. On the other hand, a majority of the respondents are rather sceptical about whether working from home has a positive effect on the overall productivity development for the company.

Health: New challenges arise for health protection while working from home. Compared to working at the office, the blurring of working time boundaries is an even greater risk: working time and leisure time are merging into each other. Companies are obligated to protect workers from being perma-nently accessible and in working mode. The right to be unavailable also applies to the office at home. The compatibility of private life (including childcare) and working life must not remain a lip service by companies either. Another important aspect

is ergonomics. Companies’ duty of care towards their employees means that workplaces at home must also be equipped in such a way that they are health-protecting. At the moment, however, there are limits to what the authorities can control.

Costs: Home office work must not lead to companies passing on space and infrastructure costs to the workers, as was the case during the lockdown. If employees carry out work in their own homes in the interests of the company, the company must bear the home office costs and corresponding expenses.

Infrastructure: If the work infrastructure is inadequate, this can lead to stress and to a higher workload for those concerned. Companies are required to ensure that those working from home have a good technical infrastructure. This also includes opportunities for efficient and informal exchange within the team.

Teamwork: Gainful employment also has an integrating character. For many people, working time is an important part of social life. If social contacts disappear in working life, many people perceive this as a loss. Companies are called upon to promote teamwork even when employees are working from home.

Compulsory attendance: The compulsory attendance times should be reconsidered. Experience during the lockdown has shown that meetings, for example, do not always require physical presence on site. Reducing compulsory attendance will also reduce traffic congestion. This in turn benefits the environment and public infrastructure.

#togetherathome 19

Christian, 48, professional musician and drum teacher

“I continue to give drum lessons from home. By cell phone. I have the student on the other side on FaceTime. It’s actually a lot of fun because I get to see teaching from a different angle.”

20 21

In the period between April and May, 1,126 Swiss adult residents were surveyed who had worked from home for at least one day in March and April 2020. The study was designed to consist partly of a panel survey and partly of an open online survey. The study was financially supported by the sovis foundation.

How the home office study was conducted, who the respondents were and what they said about their companies

STUDY The method

How did the research institute gfs.bern proceed in the home office study?

Customer syndicom

Population Swiss residents aged 18 and over who worked at least one day from home in March / April 2020

Data collection online, via panel and opt-in (Facebook)

Survey area whole of Switzerland

Survey period 23 April to 10 May 2020

Weighting by age, sex, language, employment rate

Sample size total respondents N = 1126 (Swiss German: 760, Swiss French: 268, Swiss Italian: 98)

Sampling errors

± 2.9 percentage points at 50 / 50 (and 95 percent probability)

22 23

Current situation in the household“What is the present situation in your household”

More than one adult person lives in the households of 78 percent of the inhabitants surveyed. Of these, 53 percent of the households have several people working from home simultaneously, and 6 percent of the households alternate. In 39 percent only one person works from home.

60 percent of those surveyed have completely switched to working from home within the survey period. On average, their number of working hours at home has tripled to around 32 hours per week compared to 2019.

In almost two thirds of the respondents, more than one person per household worked from home. In these households, most of them worked simultaneously, only a few alternated with working hours.

The respondents

Figures in %Figures in % of Swiss

residents aged 18 and over who worked at

least one day from home in March / April 2020

and live in their household with at least

one other adult

What are the personal circum-stances of the 1126 respondents? How has the workload changed during the lockdown?

53

6

39

2

several people work simultaneously

from home

several people work alternately from home

only one person works from home

no answer

24 25

According to the data, the number of hours worked by respond-ents at home has tripled. The average number of hours per person and week before the lockdown was approximately 10.5 hours, whereas during the lockdown it was approximately 32 hours. For 2019, this amounts to an extrapolated increase in weekly hours worked at home from 11 700 000 hours to 39 800 000 hours in lockdown.

The respondents also stated that they had worked an average of 33 hours in the last five working days, around 27.5 of which from home. Before the corona measures, the respondents had worked an average of approximately 25 hours per week, includ-ing work from home.

Working hours and working from home before and during lockdown

How has working time changed in the office at home during the coronavirus crisis?

While in 2019 the majority of respondents had worked less than 8 hours per week from home (57 %), during lockdown a majority of the respondents worked more than 32 hours per week from home, 38 % worked even 40 hours or more per week.

Figures in %of Swiss residents aged

18 and over who worked at least one day

from home in March / April 2020

less than 8 hrs between 8 and 15 hrs

between 16 and 23 hrs between 8 and 15 hrs

between 32 and 39 hrsbetween 40 and 47 hrs

between 48 and 55 hrs56 hrs or moredo not know / no answer

average working hours per week at home in 2019

average total hours worked per week in

early 2020

average hours worked at home during the last

5 working days

average working hours per week at home during lockdown

total average hours worked during the last

5 working days

57

26

11

1

6

15

11

13

13

6

5

6

13

16

10

4

8

14

16

12

3

11

15

16

15

9

29

28

29

41

6

2 3

1

4

3

5

6

12

4

13

26 27

Impact of the home office situation on working hours “Do you work more or less hours per week because of the current home office situation?”

Working from home had different impacts on the workload: 26 percent of those surveyed worked more hours per week than usual, 21 percent worked the same number of hours, 22 percent worked less hours. Just under a third of those surveyed were unable to provide any information.

Increase of work in the home office situation

Those who say they work more hours during the coronavirus crisis, most often work one to four hours more per week (39 %). 31 % say they work five to eight hours more per week and just under a third even work over eight hours more per week.


18 and over who worked at least one day from home in March / April

2020



2020 and who work more hours because of

the current situation

21

22

3126

equal hours

more hours

1 – 4 hrs

5 – 8 hrs

9 – 16 hrs

17 – 24 hrs

more than 24 hrs

less hours

do not know / no answer

19

31

39

74

28 29

Reduction of work in the home office situation

The 22 percent of the respondents who stated having worked less than usual during the coronavirus crisis quantified the reduced hours as follows: 29 percent reported having worked one to four hours less per week, 24 percent five to eight hours less, 29 percent nine to sixteen hours less. 18 percent report having worked at least 17 hours less per week.

60 percent say that their company has completely switched to working from home. The sectors of information and communica-tion (70 %) and education (80 %) are the ones that have most frequently switched to completely working from home.

27 percent say that their operations continue regularly, but that there is also the option of working from home. In each company, roughly over one-sixth state that the company’s operations have been reduced or there have been partial closures (17 %), that the company has applied for short-time working (16 %) or that other measures are in place, such as taking holidays or reducing accrued overtime (15 %). 58 percent state that their company was well prepared for the pandemic situation.

The companies

Figures in % of Swiss residents aged


2020 and work less because of the

current situation

What can be said about the companies in which the respondents worked at the time of the study?

24

29

9

9

29

5-8 hrs

9-16 hrs

17-24 hrs1-4 hrs

more than 24 hrs

30 31

Response to the pandemic by the companies “What applies to your company?”

For a good 60 percent of the companies, the changeover to working from home was not quite so big: they had experience with working from home already before the coronavirus pandemic. A similarly large number stated that their company was well prepared for the pandemic situation (58 %) or that the employer had greatly improved their home office situation with measures or gestures since the lockdown (55 %). For half of them, the pandemic even means a breakthrough for working from home (51 %).

The work situation of the companies in lockdown “What is the current situation in your company? Several answers are possible.”

During the coronavirus crisis, 60 percent of the respondents worked completely from home, another 27 percent worked regularly but additionally from home. 17 percent of the respondents stated that they were affected by partial closures, 16 percent by short-time working, 15 percent by further pandemic measures and seven percent by the discontinuation of regular operations.

Figures in % of Swiss residents aged 18 and

over who worked at least one day from home in

March / April 2020

Figures in % of Swiss residents aged 18 and

over who worked at least one day from home in

March / April 2020

completely from home

regular operations, but additionally working from home

reduced operation with partial closures of departments / areas / project stops

short-time work

further pandemic measures regarding overtime, holidays or similar apply

regular operations suspended due to pandemic measures

regular operations without special measures or additionally working from home

derogation for more overtime (e.g. nursing / hospital)

other situation

Our company was already familiar with

working from home

Our company was well prepared for the

pandemic situation

My employer has greatly improved working from

home since the lockdown with

measures / gestures

The pandemic means a breakthrough

for working from home in our company

entirely true more likely to be true not assessable rather not true not applicable at all

27

60

17

16

15

7

4

4

7

35

19

17

16

27

39

38

35

19

22

24

3

4

10

14

16

13

11

24 14

#togetherathome 42

Maria, 32, communications specialist SBB

“I have an autoimmune disease and I am immuno-suppressed because of it. That means I have to take medication that suppresses my defenses. I’m in the risk group even though I’m only 32.”

Jonas, 30, student and radio host

“For my job, I actually meet a personality from the fields of art, culture, music or sports every week. I conduct interviews with these people, from which I produce one segment per day for each week. In the current situation, this is of course no longer possible as we cannot meet any interview partners.”

34 35

What the home office study revealed

RESULTS

Satisfaction with the home office situation “How satisfied are you overall with your personal home office situation?”

Overall, the home office situation prior to the lockdown was satisfactory for 56 percent of the respondents, while 31 percent could not provide any information due to lack of experience. During the lockdown, 80 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the home office situation, 18 percent were dissatisfied.

Satisfaction

Figures in % of Swiss residents

aged 18 and over who worked at least one

day from home in March / April 2020

How was the respondents’ state of mind while working from home during the lockdown?

home office during lockdown

regular home office before lockdown

3519 39

29 27 31 9 4

39 41 2 14 4

very happy rather content not assessable rather dissatisfied very unhappy

36 37

Influence of the novelty of the experience on the evaluation “How satisfied are you with working from home during the lockdown?”

When it comes to satisfaction with working from home during the coronavirus crisis, it makes little difference whether one had previous experience with working from home or only during the crisis.

How has working from home affected the work-life balance? “What applies to you personally?”

Positive effects on personal life are noticeable for many. For example, 78 percent say that they can make good use of the time they save by not having to commute. In addition, 61 % of those surveyed believe that working from home improves the work-life balance, especially in the information and communication industry (68 %) and in the finance and insur-ance sector (76 %). 20 percent of the respondents experience that family and partnership suffer from working at home. Employers also benefit from the home office situation: 68 percent of the respondents state that they put the time saved to good work-related use.

no home office before corona (n = 324)

home office before corona (n = 745)

very happy rather content not assessable rather dissatisfied very unhappy







The time that I save by not having to commute can be

put to good private use

The time that I save by not having to commute can be

put to good work-related use

My work-life balance has improved thanks to working

from home

I recommend my colleagues to increase their working

from home

My family / partnership suffers from working

at home

4436 142

41 40 1 13 5

4

entirely true more likely to be truee not assessablee rather not true e not applicable at all

46 32 12 73

32 36 5 18 9

29 32 6 22 11

26 31 11 22 10

6 14 10 27 43

38 39

Health

Health in the home office “To what extent do you agree with the following statements about working from home in the current situation?”

64 percent of the respondents believe that home office promotes the feeling of solitude. 60 percent believe that working from home reduces stress at work.

Working conditions at home “What applies to you personally?”

Only 6 percent of the respondents believe that they are excessively controlled and monitored / supervised when working from home. 34 per cent take too few breaks (especially women, 48 percent) and just under a third have difficulty keeping to the planned working hours at home. Half of the respondents complain about poor working ergonomics at home (49 %). Women suffer dispro-portionately (54 %) from poor work ergonomics, as do 18 to 39 year olds (53 %) and people with low and middle economic positions in the social structure (both 52 %). Respondents who have to bear the costs of a home office themselves also often suffer from poor working ergonomics (53 %).

What consequences did working from home have on the health of the respondents during the coronavirus crisis?







Home office promotes the feeling

of solitude.

Home office reduces stress

at work.

The working ergono-mics at my workplace

at home are inadequate

I do not take enough breaks when working

from home

I have no control over my working hours

at home

I am being excessively supervised / controlled

when working from home



22

17

38

47

5

2

26

23

9

11

14252

2

2

64

21

2915

8

2

3415

1934

3930

6622

40 41

Childcare while working from home “What do you think is important for the future?”

55 percent of the male and 41 percent of the female respondents agree that childcare should be possible when working from home, while 33 percent of the male and 43 percent of the female respondents rather disagree. The large difference between the sexes could be explained by the fact that women in general, even when working from home, have to take on the main burden of childcare.

Children

Supervision of children in homeschooling“Do you currently supervise, at least temporarily, the children in homeschooling?”

28 percent of the respondents stated that they have underage children. More than two thirds of the respondents with children have at least temporarily looked after them in homeschooling during the lockdown. There are no significant differences between sexes (men: 67 %, women: 69 %), but there are differences between age groups (18 to 39-year-old: 49 %, 40 to 64-year-old: 75 %). 31 percent did not supervise their children’s schoolwork. They have used other options such as third-party care or care by their partner outside of their home office.

How did people with children cope with the home office?




with underage children

no

Do not know / no answer

yes

68

31

1




strongly disagree

rather disagree

do not know / no answer

rather agree

totally agree

21

34

12

28

16

25

16

21

12 15Male FemaleIt should be allowed

to take care of the children while working

from home.

42 43

How do the respondents assess the output of their work in working at home?

Compatibility of working from home and childcare“How do you agree with the following statements about working from home in the current situation?”

The employment relationship plays a role in the responses on childcare: respondents who are employees of their own company are less likely to think that childcare is not compatible with home office (25 %). Respondents who take turns with their partner in working from home are much more likely to see an incompatibility (60 %).

Negative impact of working from home “To what extent do you agree with the following statements about working from home in the current situation?”

A majority of respondents believe that training and support for employees suffers from working at home (61 % in total) – but customer service suffers less. That customers are affected is stated by 35 percent of the respondents.

Performance








The training / support of employees suffers from

working at home.

Die Kundenbetreuung leidet unter Homeoffice

15 26 31 18 10


Working from home is not compatible

with childcare

16

10 25 17 32 16

7 24 845

44 45

Positive impact of working from home “What applies to you personally?”

62 percent of the respondents believe that they can work more productively at home than at their company’s workplace, while 34 percent do not agree. Furthermore, 55 percent of the respondents believe that they work more creatively from home than otherwise.

Statements about companies“What applies to your company?”

While respondents who work from home consider their own productivity to be higher than usual (see above), many find it more difficult to assess the change in business productivity thanks to working from their office at home, which is evidenced by the high proportion of “don’t know / no answer” (23 %). However, the development within the company is assessed much more negatively.







I can work more productively at home

I can work more creatively at home

The company becomes more productive thanks

to working from home

Working from home during lockdown is a

special situation, which has a negative effect on

the quality of work

28

22

34

33

4

7

26

29

8

9



8

5

27

17

22

4

31

37

12

37

46 47

Costs

Almost half of the employers do not contribute at all“How much of the home office costs is paid by the employer?”

45 percent of the respondents do not receive any compensation from their employer for working from home. 9 percent of the respondents state that all costs are covered by the employer.

Many employees had to resort to their own infrastructure and resources during the home office situation. The companies have implemented different concepts, when available, for cost absorption. Almost half of the employers cover part of the costs incurring for their employees when working from home. In most cases they cover a part of the costs for technical equipment (17 %) or computers, Internet and telephony (14 %), while seven percent of the companies cover a small part of the costs. Nine percent reimburse the costs in full. 45 percent of employers do not cover any costs at all. This is most often the case for those respondents who work in the education and training sector (61 %). For eight percent, the proportion of costs covered had not yet been decided at the time of the survey.

Statements about yourself “What applies to you personally?”

Most of the respondents are well equipped: Only 13 percent complain of poor technology at home.

Who contributed to the costs of home office and to what extent?




full coverage

CComputer, Internet and telephony are

covered

a part of the costs for technical equipment

is covered

a small part of the costs for technical equipment is covered

not decided yet

no expenses whatsoever are covered

9

14

17

7

45

8

The technology at my home is

inadequate




entirely true more likely to be true not assessable rather not true not applicable at all 56

291121

48 49

Future

Assessments and wishes for the future “What do you think is important for the future?”

How do the respondents see the future of the home office?




The know-how on digital cooperation must be

improved at all levels

Working from home should be allowed in the company

as an addition to working on site

The technological infrastructure for digital

collaboration must be expanded

The current situation reveals that many business

trips are unnecessary

Where working from home proves successful during

the pandemic, it should be permanently expanded

I would like to work from home (in part) even after

the pandemic

The flexibilisation of wor-king time is more import-ant than the place where the work is taking place

The expansion of part-time working opportunities

is more important than the location where the

work is taking place

Only a strong public universal service guarantees

a good infrastructure for digital collaboration

If working from home is expanded, the employer

in general will have to cover more costs

Many employees are not ready for working

from home yet

It should be allowed to perform certain

household chores while working at home

It should be allowed to take care of the children

during home office hours

It is more important to expand the possibilities for working

remotely than for working from an office at home

Technology and know-how are central pillars of digital colla-boration in working from home. This is reflected in the needs for the future: respondents particularly want to see know-how about digital collaboration improved at all levels (90 %) and the technical infrastructure for digital collaboration expanded (86 %). There is also general agreement that companies should enable working from home as a supplement for working on site (89 %). Employees in particular would like this option (90 %). In addition, for 84 % of the respondents the lockdown has revealed that many business trips are unnecessary. Where working from home proved successful during the pandemic, it should be permanently expanded (84 %). For many, the place where

43

62

40

55

46

51

44

37

47

27

46

29

38

28

34

34

4

6

4

4

10

5

4

9

10

10

11

14

15

1

1

1

2

3

6

26

4

3

4

30

26 36

15 39

23 30

19 30

6 13

35 15

8 22 8

12 27 7

8 24 15

14 24 13

10 41 30

13 7

fully agree rather agree don’t know / no answer rather disagree strongly disagree

50 51

How does the teamwork with colleagues change when working from home? “What applies to you personally?”

71 percent of the respondents state that they lack the informal contact with their team when working from home. This statement emphasises the wish to prospectively improve digital collabo-ration at all levels. Companies also face a challenge in team development.

the work is performed plays a less important role than the flexibilisation of working time (78 %).

There is no predominant support (49 %) for the statement that childcare during home office hours should be allowed in the future. The statement that receives the least consent is that the expansion of opportunities for remote working is more important than the expansion of working from an office at home. Only 19 % agree with this.




I miss the informal contacts in the team

Team development is almost impossible

when working from home


37

10

34

36

3

8

16

31

10

14

52

What impact does working from home have on society? “To what extent do you agree with the following statements regarding working from home in the current situation?”

Working from home can contribute to a more ecological economy. In each case, approximately 90 percent of the respondents are convinced that working from home reduces traffic congestion and contributes significantly to environmental protection.




Working from home reduces the congestion

of traffic infrastruc-ture / traffic jams

Working from home makes a significant

contribution to environmental

protection

75

49

23

40 2

1

6 3


1

#togetherathome 48

Sara, architect in an architectural offi ce

“Working from home was not approved before the lockdown in our office and had to be set up first. I think working from home would make working life easier for many young mothers.”

Pit, 47, Marketing manager in a software company

“In mid-March, just at the beginning of the lockdown, everyone at home had fallen ill from one day to the next. It was relatively difficult to reorganize, to take care of everyone at the same time and then somehow still meet the expectations of the employer.”

56 57

CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK

Paid gainful employment has been done at home for centuries, with homeworking in trade and industry having already been widespread for a long time in the form of manual and machine work and still in existence today. Back then too, this work outside the factory was associated with certain risks, some of which have only attracted greater public attention over the last few decades. Up to the 1960s, for example, the radioactive and, therefore, carcinogenic element radium was used in the watch industry to make the hands and numerals of watches glow in the dark. Often it was women (known in the USA as “Radium Girls”) who did this job at home on behalf of and with work materials supplied by the watch factories. These “home workshops” – the workers’ apartments – were contaminated during this work, potentially affecting the health of the entire household.

To avoid the public at large only becoming aware of the occupa-tional hazards decades later in the form of long-term conse-quences – and given that those causing them can no longer be held responsible – it is important to deal with the possible risks of new developments at an early stage. syndicom did this regarding the blurring of the boundaries between working hours and leisure time, for example, by drawing up a study and incorporating the results into the negotiations on collective employment agreements.

Advancing digitalisation not only fosters the blurring of the limits of working hours but, following the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis, also the delimitation of the company. The work is performed less and less on the company’s premises. Work is also carried out on the move, outside with customers or

Back to homeworking or forward to the extended office?

58 59

on site, as well as – if the occupational activity allows – at home, in the coworking space or at the café. This is why syndicom also wanted to investigate this development of working from home, additionally accelerated by the coronavirus, by way of the present representative survey of the home office barometer and a legal opinion by Prof. Dr Kurt Pärli on the legal status of working from home, the findings of which have been incorporated into these closing remarks.The reason being that it is necessary to counter the pushes by bourgeois politicians and employers’ associations who want to reduce protection for employees by additionally attacking or undermining the Employment Act. The Employment Act already allows extensive flexibility today, while at the same time safeguarding the protection of employees’ health with regard to maximum working hours, breaks, work time recording and Sunday and night work.

Instead of weakening the legal framework, progressive social partnership solutions are also needed for working from home so that employees and companies can benefit from the advantages of decentralised work (e.g. in the home office). Since working from home can also be in the interests of the company, it is untenable for employees to have to pay for expenses (e.g. workspace, electricity, Internet and telephone) or work equip-ment themselves.The company also has an obligation with regard to working from home to ensure that the requirements for the workplace are met in terms of space and lighting conditions as well as the work equipment used. In addition, it has to take suitable measures to counteract the social isolation of workers in the home office because, in principle, the usual place of work in an employment relationship is the company and the employees have a right to that workplace.

Working from home must therefore be agreed with the employee and cannot be decreed in general terms – apart from in excep-tional situations (e.g. coronavirus decree). On the other hand, employees now only have a right to work from home in rare cases (e.g. for health reasons).

Therefore, if the advantages of working from home are to be benefitted from by labour and capital interests, there is no alternative to finding balanced solutions that are jointly negotiated. With appropriate regulations, a collective employ-ment contract tailored to the company or the industry con-cerned can reduce the associated risks.

Particular attention should be paid to the social function of work. To ensure that the home office becomes an extended office - and not a home workshop without employee protection. And if we can achieve a contribution to reducing CO2 emissions at the same time thanks to working from home and an efficient digital network infrastructure as part of the universal public service, then all the more so.

Daniel Hügli, Central Secretary Sector ICT Trade Union syndicom

Imprint

syndicom, Sector ICT, Monbijoustrasse 33, 3011 Berne [email protected] GmbH, Liebefeldwww.komform.chRemo UbezioPARTOUTATIX Berne and ELT Economy & Law Translation AG, AltendorfStämpfli AG, Berne500 exemplaires

Berne, September 2020

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