WHITE-COLLAR WORKERS in Finland are significantly more willing to continue working remotely than their international counterparts, reveals a survey conducted by JLL Finland, the leading commercial property consultant in Finland.
JLL on Sunday reported that only some three per cent of white-collar workers in the country would choose not to work remotely, a share that is notably lower than the 33 per cent measured worldwide.
The survey suggests that remote work among white-collar workers will more than double from the level preceding the coronavirus pandemic – 0.9 days per week – to 2.5 days per week after the pandemic.
“After the pandemic, 97 per cent of employees would like to continue working remotely at least one day a week,” Sofia Jakas, the director of JLL Finland, told Helsingin Sanomat.
The results of the survey stand in stark contrast to those of surveys carried out in other parts of the world in an attempt to approximate the degree of remote work in the post-pandemic world.
CBRE in July reported that remote work would continue at a one-day-per-week scale in Finland, citing the results of its large-scale survey about the use of office space in the Asia-Pacific. The premise of the survey is that developments in property demand in Asia typically herald similar developments in Europe.
Judging by the almost 400 responses collected by JLL, though, it appears that this is unlikely to take place in Finland.
Jakas pointed out to the daily newspaper that the survey is the consultancy’s first measuring the readiness of Finnish white-collar workers to continue working remotely. “We have plenty of international views. Now we have the opportunity to compare Finnish data to international data,” she said.
“The world is changing constantly, and this was the situation in May,” she reminded.
Remote work, she gauged, is perceived largely as a positive in Finland. Finnish white-collar workers also gave no indication of the decline in motivation and productivity that is often detected in international surveys. Their responses also indicate that their willingness to work would only begin decreasing and psychological stress increasing if telecommuting made up four days of the work week.
“People have adapted better than average and want to continue working remotely also going forward,” summarised Jakas.
“Our homes are important to us and we enjoy spending time there,” she added, analysing the results. “Overseas the workday is taken more advantage of socially – workers head out for drinks and snacks after the workday.”
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
