Switzerland number one in Europe for remote working readiness

Zurich, 2020, June 18th – Recruitment firm Robert Walters surveyed over 2000 global organisations to ask them about their plans for returning to the office post Covid-19.

In this new ‘Returning to the new world of work’ research the survey data revealed that Switzerland is the best prepared country in Europe for remote working and the keenest to adopt new leadership behaviours after Covid-19.

MORE REMOTE WORKING EQUALS BETTER PRODUCTIVITY

According to Robert Walters’ survey, organisations in Switzerland were more prepared for remote working than their European counterparts. 71% of Swiss organisations ensured that their employees could work remotely immediately in response to Covid-19, whilst only 55% of organisations in European countries could do the same.

Looking ahead to the new world of work, 78% of Swiss organisations are planning to allow more frequent working from home after Covid-19. Despite concerns about whether staff would work as hard from home, 88% of Swiss organisations said there was no decrease in productivity, and some even saw employees output increase.

“Swiss cities such as Zurich or Geneva are regularly ranked as having the best quality of living in the world. Through flexible working models and good work-life balance, Switzerland was ahead of other European countries, long before Covid-19. Since the crisis, the most rigid and traditional Swiss organisations have understood they needed to make an appealing value proposition for top talents looking for more flexibility in the way they work”, says Christian Atkinson, Country Head of Robert Walters Switzerland.

NEW LEADERSHIP SKILLS VS TRADITIONAL WAYS OF WORKING

For the few Swiss companies that struggled to adapt to remote working, the two main reasons were a lack of access to remote working technology (60%) and senior leadership still believing in traditional ways of working (50%).

Whilst these were common problems experienced by businesses across Europe, what is interesting is Swiss professionals desire for change in their leader’s behaviours. More than in any other country in Europe Swiss organisations want their leaders to evolve in the new world of work.

• 68% would like their leaders to have a better understanding of technology with regards to remote working (versus 58% in Europe)
• 63% think their leaders should improve their communication skills (versus 55% globally)
• 59% feel their leaders should move from a top down approach towards more collaboration (versus 45% globally)

“Over the last decade, economic upheaval has made many business leaders rethink their managerial approach. This is even more true in the health and economic crisis we are going through. As we are moving towards more remote work than ever, strong technological and communication skills are increasingly important for leaders to attract and retain the best talent while ensuring their organisation is handling the challenges of the new world of work”, comments Christian Atkinson, Country Head of Robert Walters Switzerland. 

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Séréna Bréot

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