Sascha Müller on www.medium.com

The pandemic continues to have a firm grip on Germany. Companies are required to allow their employees to work from home. Employees must provide reasons if they still want to come to the office.

 

But what consequences does work from home have for employees, companies or the public sector?

Scientists from the Research Center for Corporate Real Estate Management at the Technical University of Darmstadt have addressed this question in the current study "Home office in conflict of interest". The study results impressively demonstrate the following, among other things:

 

1.    Work from home attractive for recruiting skilled workers

The TU Darmstadt writes in its study: “Work from home [can] open up a very large additional potential for skilled workers … if the employer understands how to create the right framework conditions for work tasks, organizational structures, employees and their work locations at home.”

 

2.    Home office productive for experienced employees

The study results also show that employees in higher income groups and therefore also older employees can make their work in the home office more productive and perceive it as more pleasant.

Residential location, property amenities, separate work area and social environment are among the influencing factors.

 

3.    The third workplace as an alternative is important

The phrase “possibility of working from home” that is often used in job advertisements is not enough considering the two alternatives it refers to:

• Either I go to the office or I have to work at the kitchen table in my 50 square meter apartment in downtown Frankfurt
• Either I accept an hour's drive to the office or I forego social contacts and inspiring exchanges.

Employers must offer maximum flexibility not only, but above all, to young and highly talented people in order to put themselves in the best position in the war of talent!

TU Darmstadt writes in its study: "The future challenge of finding the modal split of workplaces includes not only the so-called "first place" at home and the "second place" in the office, but also other so-called "third places" such as co-working centers or work community hubs. Despite a comparatively low level of experience, employees in Germany would like to spend an average of 7% of their working time at third workplaces. A parallel sample of over 1,000 employees surveyed in the USA shows that the acceptance of co-working as a workplace continues to rise with increasing experience. Here, the desired share of third workplaces in total working hours is already an incredible average of 38%. It can be assumed that third workplaces close to home could replace or at least supplement the home office in the event of unfavorable conditions. Third workplaces in the neighborhood can serve as a place for the necessary exchange with colleagues, while at the same time saving the commute to the company office and creating physical distance from home."

ShareYourSpace addresses this issue. ShareYourSpace is the digital marketplace for offering or booking temporarily free workspaces. "Airbnb for office", office as a service, pay per use. For everyone with workspace (owners, tenants) and everyone who needs workspace (from the self-employed to multinational corporates).

The third workspaces on the platform - offered by multinational corporates, co-working space operators and small start-ups - can be found not only in city locations, but also in the region, ultimately wherever and when workspace is needed.

Companies can offer their employees an alternative to home office and office via ShareYourSpace by allowing employees to book office space near their place of residence independently and flexibly. The company does not have to provide its own space for this, but can use the infrastructure that can be booked on ShareYourSpace near the employee. This gives both employees and companies maximum flexibility in choosing where to work.