Over 40% of those who have had to shift to working from home during the coronavirus pandemic in Poland report being more efficient, according to a new report issued by Nationale-Nederlanden, a financial firm. One in four can imagine continuing to work in this model after the lockdown comes to an end.
Overall, half of the respondents of the survey had been forced to begin working remotely due to the lockdown, reports RMF24. Yet only 20% said that telecommuting was an entirely new model for them. Only 10% were critical of remote work.
The report finds that working from home has, unsurprisingly, proved to be much harder for those, especially women, who need to balance professional duties with taking care of young children while schools, preschools and nurseries remain closed due to the pandemic. Among respondents, 14% of women have taken the option of childcare leave, though just 3% of men had done so.
The authors of the report tried to determine the impact that the shift to remote work has had on the efficiency of employees. Half of the respondents declare that they have limited their working hours and have more time for relaxation and hobbies.
Yet 40% respondents still declared that they have become more efficient while working in isolation, while 75% said that thanks to new technologies and teleworking they are able to enjoy family life to a greater extent.
“The way you navigate through the ups and downs of remote work depends to a great extent on the character of the employees,” explains Marta Pokutycka-Mądrala of Nationale-Nederlanden.
She points out that many first-time telecommuters miss the buzz of the office, the face-to-face meetings and the human contact. However, it is up to the bosses to provide their employees with tested tools and resources to make remote teamwork productive.
“The coronavirus pandemic has triggered the fulfilment of a popular scenario predicted by scholars specialising in future work models,” Katarzyna Śledziewska, an economist at the University of Warsaw, told RMF 24.
The need to adapt to new working conditions has proved that the majority of employees are able to remain efficient and achieve their goals while working remotely. Consequently, she adds, more people may opt for remote work even after the pandemic passes.
Poland became one of the first countries in Europe to introduce tough restrictions in an effort to fight coronavirus, declaring a state of epidemic emergency, closing schools and introducing restrictions on movement on 12 March. The government subsequently tightened the lockdown, further limiting person-to-person contact.
After over a month of lockdown, on 20 April the Polish government announced a step-by-step plan for loosening the restrictions. The country is gradually reopening various institutions including shopping centres and preschools, but people are required to wear masks in public spaces.
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
