Hybrid working is a hot topic on corporate agendas today. By means of trial & error it has become clear to many companies that teleworking is less suitable for them. Yet there is more to it. In America, more and more companies are asking for a larger office presence and it seems that Belgium is following suit. It is unlikely that employers will ban working from home, because it is now well established. That is expected Working in the office for 3 days or more is the norm is becoming.
We are at a tipping point, according to a survey by Acerta Consult among more than 500 Belgian companies. 3 out of 4 employees indicate that they will again work 3 days in the office. The corona pandemic forced companies to introduce teleworking overnight. Now, 4 years later, there is a need for an evaluation of the work-from-home policy.
Working from home questioned
Working from home turns out to be a double-edged sword. Many employees associate it with a higher productivity, a better work-life balance and less absenteeism due to illness. But employers are concerned about involvement of their teleworkers. They wonder whether their staff still has sufficient contact with the company in this way. They also dispute that productivity is actually higher.
Research by Ghent University shows that Flemish employees are less inclined to hire candidates who indicate a preference for teleworking in their application. Striking: when the request to telework is motivated by the pursuit of a better work-life balance, this is penalized more than when the motivation is better productivity.
Better agreements
Hybrid working will not disappear. However, 1 in 3 companies already wants to structurally reduce home working today. The new normal would be in the office 3 days a week. Good agreements regarding teleworking can positively influence mutual cooperation and help managers to better monitor the involvement of their employees.
Source: Jobat.be
Tags: working home increasingly scaled
