A WFH 'culture war' has broken out across Europe
A culture war over remote and hybrid working in Europe sees the U.K. as the most WFH-friendly, contrasting with France. Factors include education, Wi-Fi, lockdown experiences, sector mix, and individualism. Balancing preferences and concerns is crucial for future work arrangements.
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A culture war over remote and hybrid working has emerged in Europe, with the U.K. leading as the most WFH-friendly country while France lags behind. The Global Survey of Working Arrangements (G-SWA) shows that the average British employee with a graduate education spends twice as much time working remotely as their French counterparts. Factors influencing remote working rates include Wi-Fi connectivity, lockdown experiences, and sector mix. The U.K.'s economy, skewed towards services like finance and tech, naturally leans towards more hybrid and remote working. Individualism plays a significant role, with more individualistic countries like the U.K. and the Netherlands embracing remote and hybrid working compared to collectivist countries like Japan and South Korea. Employee preferences for flexible working arrangements persist, with potential impacts on talent retention and company policies. However, concerns about the degradation of social relationships and collaboration from prolonged remote work suggest a need for balance in future work arrangements. The evolving situation requires ongoing management and understanding by both employers and employees.
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14 commentsGood. We have been forced to do things your way until now. Now times have changed. You do things our way. Take your ten minute talk about kid soccer elsewhere and let me work.
Instead of disputing that, I'll just reply: "It might not be the best way for you, but it's definitely the best way for me, so I'll pick only those companies that offer remote roles, and I'll do my best working for them because I appreciate WFH much more than money". Incidentally, in my niche top-paid roles are remote only.
During peak pandemic there were parallels drawn between areas of high individualism and higher chance of ignoring quarantine, lockdown, and masking laws (or guidelines).
This makes logical sense to me: "rules for thee and rules for me" is a very individualist way of looking at things.
Meanwhile all the people I know who are more interested in remote work also happen to have been way above average when it comes to following guidelines and (this is an important distinction) not solely for their own wellbeing (ALA collectivism).
Anyway - personal observation only, but seems really off to me. Perhaps on average it's still correct and I'm in a fringe bubble!
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Other commenters' mention of introvert vs. Extrovert sparked something:
To each type, the others' behaviour can seem selfish (perhaps even to the point of seeming like they're hyper-individualists with no care for the greater good)
Now if it's a war in the office, managers need to pick a side and the freedom is reduced even if you get some WFH days or whatever.
Full remote is a whole other can of worms.
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