A new study from McKinsey & Company is predicting that one-third of Europe’s workforce could be remote after the pandemic has ended.
Many business leaders have expressed concerns over productivity levels during the world’s largest work-from-home experiment, but studies have proven that employees have had a boost in productivity.
However, companies who failed to adapt their culture to incorporate the proper remote technology have struggled.
Still, some employees have said they might prefer to come into the office for at least part of the week, with a more flexible touch.
Nearly 52% of UK workers said they have had a better work-life balance throughout the pandemic. If employers do not accommodate this need in the future, one-third of respondents said they would consider a career change.
The potential for remote working varies greatly on the industry. For example, jobs that are focused on manual labor are not ideal for remote working. On the other hand, McKinsey found that over three-quarters of finance and insurance work could be done from home.
Remote working opportunities also vary across regions. For instance, McKinsey’s study revealed that professionals in China and India could spend 12% and 22% of their time working remotely before seeing a dip in productivity levels.
Germany, the U.S. and Japan are close behind the UK, with the research indicating that their workforces could spend 28% to 30% of their time working remotely before losing productivity.
These findings indicate that economies that are focused on digitization have fared better when it comes to adapting to remote working.
