UGLY TRUTH: Coronavirus has caused a shift in working habits

Larger companies are more inclined to support working from home

There has been a significant reduction in the number of people present at the workplace in connection with anti-coronavirus measures. Data show that 37 % of people work from home, according to STEM/MARK agency's survey. Some respondents weren't working in one specific plac, or they weren't working at all. Not even half of the employees remained in the offices.

However, LMC, the company which operates the Jobs.cz and Práce.cz job portals, is more realistic. According to them, approximately 20 % of people enjoy the advantage of working from home, but the percentage is significantly higher in Prague (approximately the above-mentioned one third of people). On the contrary, outside Prague, in Moravia and Silesia, the average is around 15 %. The percentage increases among people with a university degree. LMC's statistics also suggest that work from home is supported mainly by larger companies.

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Concerns about our future

Given the fact that the rest of the people weren't working at all, it's not surprising that up to 60 % of employees are worried about their jobs and earnings, and for more than 90 % of them, the utmost priority is to keep their job. At least that's what the data provided by AMI Communications depict.

One of today's trends is not to look for a better job at all costs, but a preference for stability and income certainty without the need to enter the labor market. Gone are the days when candidates could set their own conditions in some positions. At the moment, the ability to adapt, multidisciplinarity, and good general knowledge are valued. These definitely increase the chance of success in a possible selection process nowadays.

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Only a few days a week in a physical office?

Let's focus on people that are still employed. For many of them, the situation has changed, or at least they perceive the change in society. The change is almost tangible. As many as 94 % of employees are worried that they will have to return to the old way of working and lose flexible working arrangements. After all, up to 80 % of them want to find a better ratio between work and leisure, i.e. time spent with their family. The percentage is provided by a multinational company ManpowerGroup, which conducted research among 8,000 employees from different countries. There are more data related to this research: 43 % of employees no longer want to return to fixed working hours, and most would like to keep working from home even after the end of the pandemic. They'd go to their workplace only a few days a week.

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The gap between the lucky and the less fortunate

In regard to these new conditions, we need to talk about the widening gap between the lucky and the less fortunate, too. Employees with the right skills will have higher wages, work from home, and enjoy more time with their loved ones. On the other hand, employees with skills that won't be so much in demand will be paid less and their presence at the workplace will be required. That way, they will be exposed to greater risks. Either in terms of their health or the uncertainty related to the possibility that their presence at the workplace might be completely impossible due to the coronavirus situation.

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Home office and productivity

The crisis is affecting not only employees, but also employers. Almost half of the employees state that working from home has an impact on their productivity. On the one hand, Colliers company's research shows that 24 % of people perceive its increase. On the other, 23 % experience a decrease, which employers need to deal with. Finding the perfect balance between employee satisfaction and their desired work performance can be quite difficult. One positive thing is that up to 75 % of employees feel connected to their co-workers, even if they do not have physical contact.

HARD NUMBER: 30

So far, work from home is still one of the employee benefits, but the COVID-19 crisis will probably turn it into a necessity over time. Jobs are already being created for which there's no other option but working from home. By the end of 2021, 30 % of work positions could be set up this way.