Swiss workers want to return to the office – but not every day

Almost a third of younger employees didn’t want to return to their offices at all Keystone / Peter Schneider

Most Swiss who are working from home miss personal contact with their colleagues – but not working from home at all would be out of the question, according to a study.

Whether it’s brainstorming around a flipchart or gossiping around the coffee machine, most Swiss want to return to their workplace after the pandemic but still be allowed to work from home in some cases.

Two-thirds of employees are in favour of such a solution, according to a representative surveyExternal link by consultants Deloitte, published on Friday.

“The last 12 months have shown that remote working works very well for many people. The fact that so few want to return to the office completely after the pandemic confirms this,” said Reto Savoia, CEO of Deloitte Switzerland.

“A clear majority wants a suitable mix of remote working and office presence for the work of the future and wants to take advantage of both working models.”

Only 12% wanted to work in the office full-time, with employees over 50 far more likely to want to return to the office completely (16%) than those under 30 (9%).

However, more than a quarter of respondents also wished they didn’t have to return to work at all and could work at home all the time. Younger employees (31%) had this wish more often than older employees (22%).

Productivity benefits

According to Savoia, the trend towards home office brings opportunities for employees, such as easier family arrangements, but also for companies. For example, by allowing employees to work from home, a company can increase its radius when looking for new employees.

Doubts about the productivity of home office workers are unfounded, according to respondents. Half said they were more productive in a home office than in an office. More than a third were equally productive. Only 16% said their productivity suffered at home.

Deloitte conducted a representative survey from February 12-23 among around 2,000 people of working age living in Switzerland. In February 2021, 52% of the working population in Switzerland was working wholly or partly from home. For 36%, working from home was not possible due to the nature of their profession.