In spring and summer there was great euphoria about working from home. Many companies were surprised by the high productivity of their employees. But the enthusiasm seems to be waning, with employees missing the contact with their colleagues. Despite rising infection rates, many companies do not want to send their employees back to their homes completely. They are planning a hybrid model instead.
Home office productivity stagnates
Many employers no longer consider working from home as positive as they did a few weeks ago. According to a recent survey of 1,097 companies by the German Ifo Institute, almost one in three companies (27 percent) is noticing a drop in productivity when employees work from home in these days. This is in stark contrast to the start of the year, when enthusiasm was high for both staff and employers.
"One explanation for the declining productivity is that employees increasingly miss the contact with their colleagues. We must not forget that companies are social meeting places", says Sven Jäschke, Country Manager Nordic, Central &Eastern Europe at GOJO Industries, the manufacturer of PURELL hygiene solutions. "The brief moments of small talk in the corridor, the conversations in the canteen, in the kitchen or the professional exchange of ideas which create motivation and increases the power of innovation. We are now beginning to realise that direct interaction cannot be replaced by video conferencing over an extended period.”
Increasing number of cases throughout Europe - employees should work from home
However, the home-office-fatigue comes at a very unfortunate time. Governments around Europe and the world are advising employers to send their employees back home, as infection numbers are on the rise.
"This advice comes at a dark and gloomy time of year when many employees are struggling with the winter blues and are longing to be close to others. Now that private contacts have been completely forbidden or severely restricted in many countries, a lot of employees are happy to see their colleagues in the office at least once in a while", says Sven Jäschke, who, as a manager, also had to find the right solution for his own employees. "We have chosen a hybrid model and divided our staff. Half of them work in the office and the other half from home. After a while they switch."
Good hygiene concept ensures safety in the office
Meanwhile the safety of the employees who work at the office is ensured thanks to a very strict hygiene concept. All employees maintain generous distances and wash and disinfect their hands regularly. In addition, regular airing helps to keep the concentration of germs in the offices as low as possible. Where distances cannot be maintained, protective masks are used - in the warehouse, for example.
"By maintaining a certain closeness under strict safety precautions, we’re aiming to prevent psychological consequences", says Sven Jäschke. How pandemics affect the mental health of the population has not yet been researched, yet it is likely that depression, anxiety disorders and alcohol abuse will increase in such times.
Psychological consequences of the pandemic
We can draw parallels with the financial crisis in 2008, in terms of the effect of the past few months on mental wellbeing. A study by Forbes and Krueger (2019)[1] showed that people who had suffered significantly during the financialcrisis developed depressions, anxiety and panic attacks. "That must be avoided as much as possible", Sven Jäschke emphasises. "The aim is to get through the crisis in good health - physically and mentally.
Please note: employers who opt for a hybrid model should only do so if all necessary safety precautions are taken. We have developed special materials for this purpose, which are available for free download.
Stay healthy!
[1] Forbes M. K., Krueger R. F. (2019). The Great Recession and mental health in the United States. Clinical Psychological Science. 7(5):900–913.
