In Germany, three quarters of the digital sector are allowed to work from home

According to the study, three out of four employees are allowed to work from home - yet this is often undesirable on the part of employers. The results also show that the boundaries between working time and leisure time are becoming blurred.

Working from home is no longer just an additional option in the digital economy, it is already standard. Three quarters (75%) of the employees surveyed in a BVDW study stated that they are allowed to work from home. However, only 24% have this provision in their employment contract. For Harald R. Fortmann, Ambassador for the Working World of the Future at BVDW, this is no surprise: "It is often a matter of goodwill regulations without fixed criteria. In larger companies in particular, however, there are official company agreements in which the conditions are laid down." According to the BVDW survey, the technical possibilities are available in 95 percent of companies.

"A huge cultural gap"

A third of respondents (34%) who do not take up the offer to work from home state that their employer is reluctant to allow them to work from home. "There is a huge gap here, especially culturally. It will take time for all managers to understand that flexible working can have a positive impact on productivity and work results," explains Fortmann. The expectations are high: 92% of those surveyed who are not offered the option of working from home would like to be able to work from home - especially to be able to work in a more concentrated manner (72%), save travel time to work (63%) and be able to organize their working hours independently (62%). Almost one in two (44%) would like to improve their work-life balance by working from home. However, three out of ten respondents (31%) said that they were unable to draw a clear line between working hours and free time.

Constant availability is standard

Almost three quarters (73 percent) state that they can be reached by phone or email during their free time - in 94 percent of cases on weekdays after work. While on vacation, 63 percent of those surveyed process work emails or make work-related phone calls. Overall, this leads to a higher workload: almost half (47%) state that they work more than three years ago. Harald R. Fortmann: "The needs are very individual. One person wants to combine work and family life and integrate their professional activities into their free time. Others attach great importance to separating the two. Employers who want to keep up in the race for the best minds have to be able to adapt to this."

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