Working time models
Ifo: Home Office firmly established – every fourth uses it
In Corona pandemic, working has spread from home. In the meantime, companies are increasingly bringing their employees back to the office. Is mobile work on the withdrawal again?
The work from the home office has established itself in Germany according to the IFO Institute. Almost every fourth still works at least partially from home. In February, the home office share was 24.5 percent, as can be seen from a survey by the Munich IFO Institute. In August 2024 it was still 23.4 percent.
The home office quota has been almost unchanged since April 2022. “We see no evidence in the data that the home office is on the withdrawal,” says IFO researcher Jean-Victor Alipour. “Home office has firmly established itself. Individual initiatives of companies to bring their employees back to the office does not form a statistically readable trend.”
Home work is particularly common among service providers
Accordingly, employees work most frequently for service providers from home (34.3 percent). In the processing industry it is 16.9 percent, 12.5 percent in retail. The bottom light is the construction industry with 4.6 percent. “The HomeOffice rate has remained almost unchanged since April 2022,” says Alipour.
Studies for the United States showed that companies more often restricted the home office under economic pressure. The focus is not necessarily on a higher performance of employees. “Such measures can also promote voluntary dismissals,” says Alipour.
Hybrid models do not affect productivity
Research also shows: so -called hybrid homeoffice models – a combination of work in the office and in the home office – generally did not impair productivity. If you are more coordinated by presence days, according to the IFO, this strengthens personal exchange and productivity. This reduces flexibility for employees, but not necessarily the scope of home office.
dpa
Source: Stern
