Half of Swiss employees back hybrid work model

Almost half of Swiss workers would like to continue spending part of their working week at home, slightly below the global average, a new survey shows.

The Covid-19 pandemic caused a shift to remote working. Firms are now grappling with their back-to-office plans, as hybrid models that give employees the option to work part of their hours remotely take root. A new survey published on Friday looks at workers’ changing attitude towards the office and hybrid work models.

According to the global staffing group Adecco, Swiss workers are keen to see colleagues again (58%) but almost half (49%) would like to continue to work some days at home. This is slightly below the global average (53%), Adecco said.

Four out of five Swiss respondents said they had managed to create a suitable office set-up to work effectively at home.

In Switzerland, 35% of those questioned said they were anxious about returning to their office.

But remote working is not the ideal solution for everyone. One in three people (30%) questioned said that their mental health had suffered during the pandemic.

At the same time, managers told Adecco of their difficulties in managing teams remotely and dealing with employee issues like burn-out and mental strain.

The Adecco study was carried out among 15,000 people in 25 countries, including 800 in Switzerland. People questioned normally worked in offices and had contracts with at least 20 hours a week.