Home office – just a year ago, this was a great unknown for most employees. And something of a nightmare for many employers. Because if you work at home, you not only have to have a certain amount of self-organization, but also hide from the boss.
Due to the corona, 40 percent of employees have already worked from home this year, as a survey carried out in October (i.e. before the second lockdown) by the market research institute Ifes on behalf of the Chamber of Labor (AK) shows. And of these respondents, 15 percent went about their professional activity almost continuously within their own four walls. After all, almost every second person found their way back to the office or only worked at home in exceptional cases. In the spring, a minority made a pilgrimage to their actual workplace. “We are assuming that it will be the same again,” says Ifes managing director Eva Zeglovits. In October, 85 percent said that no home office was possible in their job.
Equipment at home inadequate
What has not changed since spring are the problems with the equipment in the home office. In October, 94 percent of those surveyed used an Internet connection, but only a negligibly small proportion get access from their employers. It wasn't really any different in spring. A little more than half now have a real desk chair, but 88 percent use their private furniture. The picture is similar for desks and printers. Even laptops were only available from employers in 46 percent of cases. One thing is striking: men are better equipped than women.
The Chamber of Labor therefore wants to put pressure on the negotiations with the ministry and employers in matters of home office. In autumn, ÖVP Labor Minister Christine Aschbacher announced that she wanted to present specific home office regulations by March 2021. There will be a meeting with the social partners at the Ministry in December. However, the AK wants a law, and ideally by the end of the year. AK boss Renate Anderl: “Home office is not a legal vacuum.”
According to the AK, there have already been five rounds of talks on the subject. “But there are different approaches to what we want, what the ministry and what employers want,” says Anderl. The AK boss considers an agreement to be possible this year, if you stick to it. The AK is not only concerned with the question of whether home office should be voluntary (although there is agreement on this with the employers). But also about how any additional costs can be covered. Accident insurance and the law on working hours also play a role.
Anyone who sits at home around the clock is theoretically available at any time. In the Ifes survey, 44 percent said that they could be reached by the employer, even outside of working hours. But more than half manage to set themselves apart after work.
In the event of illness, it seems to be hard to draw boundaries: More than half work from home rather than going on sick leave, even if their physical well-being is impaired. Especially women with children and household chores: 61 percent continue to do their job while sick. For fathers it is 51 percent.
Home office instead of care day
“We know that being on sick leave is something that makes people more likely to work in the home office than to call in sick,” says Ifes boss Zeglovits. The fear of losing one's job plays just as important a role as the colleagues who would be burdened with overtime. AK President Anderl suspects that the reason can also be found in the pandemic. In times like these, it is difficult to find a new job. Especially for women with children. If it is not the parents who are sick, but the offspring, there is the possibility of care leave for the purpose of care. However, a full 60 percent of employees still work – just from home. Especially women under 40. A circumstance that Anderl describes as “shocking”. (nst)
