Effects of Home Office on employees’ working conditions during Covid 19 crisis in Switzerland

Abstract

The current pandemic poses special challenges for employees. A sur-vey was conducted in April and May 2020. The impact of the switch to home office on the living circumstances, quality of life and well-being was investi-gated. 333 respondents (female 62%, male 38%) participated in this survey. The results show there during these weeks a high level of well-being in the home office. More than 70% of respondents feel comfortable in home office and would like to maintain this type of work organization after the corona crisis. Leadership is a decisive factor. Working conditions at home (suitable working environment, undisturbed work) are less decisive for well-being than good leadership by the superior. Findings show the necessity of clear communication rules, so that em-ployees are optimally integrated into the work processes and content. In addition, a high degree of personal autonomy in the home office and, at the same time, close integration into the team is important for the well-being of employees. Em-ployees would like to keep the autonomy they gained even after the crisis. How-ever, there are increasing demands due to digital leadership. Under these condi-tions, leadership means providing orientation and support from a physical dis-tance, as well as promoting the autonomy of the employee. As a negative impact of Home Office, it can be stated that employees miss regular social exchange with colleagues. In consequence, the presence at the workplace should be used as quality time for building sustainable and resilient working relationships.