While Swiss business leaders herald a paradigm shift in remote working, a survey reveals a very different reality.
Just 50.9 percent of wage-earners in Switzerland are working from home more than four hours per week, according to a survey (in German) released on Monday by consumer portal Comparis. The Swiss government has recommended that employers dispatch staff to work from home where possible as a measure against Covid-19's spread.
What ostensibly was a «boom» in working from home is in fact a mere nine percent rise on the year, Comparis noted. «This is not a sustainable remote working boom,» Comparis property expert Frédéric Papp said.
Spike In Mobility
The number of employees spending more than half of their work week at home rose 16 percent to 37.3 percent, Comparis said. The portal noted that work-related mobility is also higher than in early 2020, when the Swiss government imposed a widespread shutdown but stopped short of requiring employers to send staff home.
Nearly 46 percent of employees are eschewing working from home altogether, a touch lower than the nearly 52 percent which never worked remotely before the pandemic hit. Comparis found a socio-economic divide in employees: those spending more than 90 percent of their working hours at home are typically more well-educated and paid.
Property-Owner Vs Renter
This is mirrored in income: employees with gross income of more than 8,000 Swiss francs ($8,600) monthly are more likely to be working away from their regular workplace than those with income of 4,000 francs to 8,000 francs. Living circumstances also play a huge role: employees spending four or more days at home are more likely to be home-owners (24.8 percent) than tenants (16.6 percent).
Comparis also identified a gender gap, with women physically present at their workplace (51.9 percent) far more often than men (40.4 percent). «Compared to men, women are more likely to work part-time or in professions which require a physical presence,» Papp said.
