Over a third of employees worked from home at least some of the time last year as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Figures varied depending on the sector, with ICT (information and communications technology) workers putting in the most hours from home.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA/ts
Português
pt
Mais de um terço dos suíços trabalharam de casa em 2020
In this sector 76.3% of employees worked in their home office over the whole year, the Federal Statistical Office said in a statementExternal link on Monday. Its survey is based on data from the 2019 and 2020 Swiss Labour Force Surveys.
In second place was the finance and insurance sector, with 61.4% of work done at home. The education and training, professional services and scientific and technical services sectors also had more than half of their employees working at home at least some of the time.
Overall, 34.1% of employees teleworked at home all or part of the time last year. In 2019 the figure was only 24.6%.
More
More
Urban high earners more likely to be home office-ready
This content was published on
Research by Basel University has shown how some jobs are more amenable to home office than others.
Last year the government repeatedly urged Swiss to work from home wherever possible. However, practical and legal questions were raised. Is there a legal right to home office? Can an employer force his or her employees to work from home? What about the status of taking breaks while teleworking?
According to the Swiss Employers’ Association, there is no right to home office in Switzerland. This means that an employee who decides to work from home without their employer’s permission risks being punished. Even during the height of the pandemic, workers belonging to the most vulnerable groups could theoretically have been obliged to turn up at their place of work.
However, employers are also bound by law to protect the health of their workers, and if neither a safe workplace nor a teleworking option is available, then an employee can legally stay at home on full salary, said legal firm MME.
More
More
Coronavirus: the situation in Switzerland
This content was published on
An overview of the latest Covid-related information in the Alpine nation.
Swiss price watchdog slams excessive prices for generic medicines
This content was published on
The cheapest generic medicines available in Switzerland are more than twice as expensive as in other countries, according to a study by the Swiss price watchdog.
Nature should not figure in net zero calculations: academic study
This content was published on
The natural removal of CO2 from the atmosphere by forests or oceans should not be included in the net-zero balance of climate protection measures, argue researchers.
This content was published on
None of the 15 major Swiss retail banks is meeting international climate and biodiversity targets, according to a ranking by WWF Switzerland.
This content was published on
Nestlé's new CEO Laurent Freixe, has presented plans for the future of the world's largest food company, after his first few weeks in office.
Swiss foreign minister calls on Moscow to end Ukraine war
This content was published on
It's high time Moscow ended its war against Ukraine, Swiss foreign minister Ignazio Cassis tells the UN Security Council.
This content was published on
The only alternative to the UN Palestinian agency’s work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, told reporters in Geneva on Monday.
Study reveals food culture differences between Switzerland and neighbours
This content was published on
Three-quarters of Swiss people consider eating to be a pleasurable, social activity, a new survey reveals. Healthy eating, however, plays a much less important role, it found.
Rules and cost of home office work still being debated
This content was published on
Once again the official recommendation in Switzerland is to work from home. What are the legal implications for employees?
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.