“Yes” to teleworking, but in moderation, employees seem to prefer, according to a recent survey by the Athens University of Economics and Business.
The research entitled “Teleworking: Did it come to stay?” was conducted by the Human Resources Management Laboratory (HRM), which scientifically supports the Postgraduate Program in Human Resources Management of the Athens University of Economics and Business, in November 2020 and November 2021.
As the scientific head of the research, director of the DAD Laboratory, Assistant Professor Eleanna Galanaki, states in APE-MPE, in general, the attitude of the employees regarding teleworking is “positive”, given that it is done once or more per week or whenever he needs.
According to her, 54% of respondents have more teleworking experience, either during the pandemic or earlier. Before the pandemic, only 28% had such an experience. Teleworkers appear less during the survey in 2021 (27.8%) compared to 2020 (52%), after the relevant measures had been “relaxed”. Apparently, the companies did not necessarily choose to keep the distance work, says Ms. Galanaki. Interestingly, few said they would like to either work exclusively or most days (6.3%) or never again (9.4%).
It is worth noting, as the research shows, that of those who have no teleworking experience at all and represent about 50% of the sample, 40% would not like to work like this, another 40% say they do not care about teleworking (nor do they prefer , nor avoidance), but there is a 20% who state that they would like to have the possibility of teleworking, even though they have not tried it.
85% of those who work telework today, want to continue teleworking (very: 20%, enough: 37%, moderate: 27%) and 84% prefer either a regularity in teleworking (once or more per week -50.5 %), or teleworking application rarely, whenever needed (34%).
More negative in telework are the older ones and those who in their work “help other people (eg education, medicine, nursing, providing information, etc.)”. More positive are those who mainly work “with numbers, files or machines, in a given and regular way”.
It appears that the majority of employers (63%) in 2021, more than in 2020, provided telework support tools, mainly laptops, software and access / communication tools. Teleworkers in larger companies, however, felt significantly more supportive from their employers and co-workers than employees in smaller ones.
Three in five respondents “experience less work stress when working remotely, are more efficient, and save time and travel costs,” the survey said.
Of course, Ms. Galanaki points out in APE-MPE, the findings for the rest of the sample, ie 2 out of 5 respondents, indicate that “many have stress”, because the employee may find it difficult to reconcile the multiple roles, eg family caregiver and work”. The above percentage was higher in 2020, where schools were closed, while in 2021 it decreased, adds Ms. Galanaki.
After all, 42% of respondents say that their working hours have increased compared to before the pandemic.
“Exclusive teleworking is not recommended according to the literature”, underlines Ms. Galanaki. «Humans are social beings and need to get in touch “With other people, this is how relationships of trust are built,” he explains. Also, during the pandemic, when people are locked in their homes, there is an increase in psychological phenomena, he adds.
In addition, not all professions can do teleworking. According to a study by the European Commission, only about 50% of employees per country can work remotely, says Ms. Galanaki. In Greece this percentage is lower, around 40%, because a significant part of the population works in the primary sector (farmers), in tourism and shipping, whenever there is a “smaller proportion of potentially teleworking occupations”. In addition, Ms. Galanaki notes, teleworking is mostly found in Athens, not in the province.
Be that as it may, the predictions of most respondents about teleworking are that its use will expand in the future. This belief is stronger in 2021 than in 2020 and to those who have teleworking experience. “Technology allows us this new way of working, which has many possibilities, but must be used in moderation and as far as possible,” concludes Ms. Galanaki.
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