Michael Page, a specialist recruitment and selection firm for middle and senior managers, analysed the impact of the OVID-19 crisis on the work environment and future, based on the perception of European employees, including Portuguese.
The survey was carried out among some 4,000 employees in various sectors between July and August 2020, and extended to Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Turkey.
Among the main findings of the report produced by the British consultancy over 40 years old and 140 offices in 35 countries, three positive aspects resulting from the pandemic stand out.
First, the expectation that companies will implement flexible labour policies from now on (75.5%).
The second most frequent response (62.9 per cent) was the recognition of some functions that were previously not so relevant, namely associated with the health care, retail, education and logistics sectors.
Thirdly, sustainability is mentioned, with 46.3% of respondents believing that environmental awareness has grown in recent months, driving responsible and local consumption of goods and products.
Employees stated that motivation (51.4%), job satisfaction (48.9%) and productivity (45.3%) remained stable during the months of work at home. And 53.7% said they felt equally involved with the company as when they went to the office every day.
On the future of work, European employees support a flexible model that combines the possibility of working in the office with teleworking. The results confirm this trend, with 61.6% saying they would consider working remotely in the future.
However, in proportion, 41.1% say they would opt for teleworking two days a week, 33% three days, 18.2% four days and only 7.7% say they would like to work remotely every day.
“We are at a critical point where many companies are making their plans for the coming months. But to develop an effective strategy, you need to know what employees think and how they have evolved professionally over these months of working at home,” says Álvaro Fernández, Managing Director of Michael Page Portugal.
“Understanding the perception of employees is the key to defining a working model that adapts to the needs of companies, while maintaining the commitment and satisfaction at work of all employees,” he says.
