Result
For a growing number of working people, the workday doesn't end when the clock strikes. Almost one in four regularly continues working from home. Before the pandemic, "only" one in eight employees did some work-related work in their free time at least once a week; now, that number has almost doubled. One in twenty even works for their company daily, and almost half (44%) do so at least once a month in the evening or on weekends. The differences between salaried employees, hourly workers, and civil servants are relatively small – however, self-employed individuals are significantly more likely to be productive in their free time (true to the motto: self-employed and always working).
Reasons
Quickly making a phone call, answering an email, reading specialist literature, or jotting down an idea – in times of home office and digitalization, this is widespread. This trend is further encouraged by the expectations of superiors, but also by one's own feeling of being (seemingly) indispensable.
Forecast
The increasing flexibility of work comes at a price and blurs the lines between work and leisure. For employees, this freedom in terms of time and location means, among other things, shorter commutes, but also greater responsibility for their own work. In the future, the results achieved will be more important than simply being physically present at a desk. For employers, this development means less control and requires a greater degree of trust.
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