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Working from Home during the Pandemic and the Post-Crisis Implications

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  • Jean-Victor Alipour
  • Oliver Falck
  • Simone Schüller

Abstract

Working from home is playing a central role in the Covid-19 pandemic and the associated social distancing measures. Calculations by the ifo Institute show that about 56 percent of all employees in Germany theoretically have access to a home office. Less than half of this potential was utilized prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. Low-income earners and employees with a low level of qualification are much less likely to work from home. A higher potential for working from home is also negatively associated with regional reports of short-time work and regional infection rates. However, a complete shift to working from home cannot be a universal model in the near future. Both companies and employees will prefer a hybrid model of working on site and from home.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Victor Alipour & Oliver Falck & Simone Schüller, 2020. "Working from Home during the Pandemic and the Post-Crisis Implications," ifo Schnelldienst, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 73(07), pages 30-36, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ifosdt:v:73:y:2020:i:07:p:30-36
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    8. Arntz, Melanie & Ben Yahmed, Sarra & Berlingieri, Francesco, 2018. "Working from Home: Heterogenous Effects on Hours Worked and Wages," VfS Annual Conference 2018 (Freiburg, Breisgau): Digital Economy 181630, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    9. Harald Fadinger & Jan Schymik, 2020. "The Effects of Working From Home on COVID-19 Infections and Production - A Macroeconomic Analysis for Germany," CRC TR 224 Discussion Paper Series crctr224_2020_167, University of Bonn and University of Mannheim, Germany.
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    Cited by:

    1. Otto, Anne & Fuchs, Michaela & Wydra-Somaggio, Gabriele & Stabler, Jochen, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für Rheinland-Pfalz," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Rheinland-Pfalz-Saarland 202102, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    2. Fuchs, Michaela & Otto, Anne & Fritzsche, Birgit, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für Thüringen," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Sachsen-Anhalt-Thüringen 202101, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    3. Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Andrea Egger, 2023. "Arbeitsmarkt 2030. Rückschlüsse für Österreich," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 71172, April.
    4. Bonin, Holger & Eichhorst, Werner & Kaczynska, Jennifer & Kümmerling, Angelika & Rinne, Ulf & Scholten, Annika & Steffes, Susanne, 2020. "Verbreitung und Auswirkungen von mobiler Arbeit und Homeoffice," IZA Research Reports 99, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Pfnür, Andreas & Gauger, Felix & Bachtal, Yassien & Wagner, Benjamin, 2021. "Homeoffice im Interessenkonflikt," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 125682, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    6. Fiona Niebuhr & Prem Borle & Franziska Börner-Zobel & Susanne Voelter-Mahlknecht, 2022. "Healthy and Happy Working from Home? Effects of Working from Home on Employee Health and Job Satisfaction," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(3), pages 1-14, January.
    7. Charlotte K. Marx & Mareike Reimann & Martin Diewald, 2021. "Do Work–Life Measures Really Matter? The Impact of Flexible Working Hours and Home-Based Teleworking in Preventing Voluntary Employee Exits," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, January.
    8. Kyra Voll & Felix Gauger & Andreas Pfnür, 2022. "CREM perspective on home office—a consideration of the workplace and its mechanisms of action [CREM Perspektive auf Heimarbeit – eine Betrachtung ausgewählter Wirkungsmechanismen des Arbeitsorts]," Zeitschrift für Immobilienökonomie (German Journal of Real Estate Research), Springer;Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung e. V., vol. 8(2), pages 139-171, October.
    9. Ioanna Simeli & Georgios Tsekouropoulos & Anastasia Vasileiou & Greta Hoxha, 2023. "Benefits and Challenges of Teleworking for a Sustainable Future: Knowledge Gained through Experience in the Era of COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(15), pages 1-30, July.
    10. Fuchs, Michaela & Otto, Anne & Fritzsche, Birgit, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für Sachsen-Anhalt," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Sachsen-Anhalt-Thüringen 202102, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].
    11. Dennis Wilke & Henriette Rau & Joachim W. Härtling, 2022. "Case Study: Assessing The COVID-19 Pandemic’s Potential for a More Climate-Friendly Work-Related Mobility," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-17, October.
    12. Otto, Anne & Fuchs, Michaela & Stabler, Jochen, 2021. "Systemrelevante Berufe und das Potenzial für Homeoffice: Eine geschlechtsspezifische Bestandsaufnahme für das Saarland," IAB-Regional. Berichte und Analysen aus dem Regionalen Forschungsnetz. IAB Rheinland-Pfalz-Saarland 202101, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany].

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Arbeitsbedingungen; Arbeitsgestaltung; Telearbeit;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • J20 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - General

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