Will home office become prevalent in Hungary?

Just after the pandemic, people went back to the offices to meet the increased utility costs. Seems like home office was meant to become part of our lives after all. Businesses might become more flexible regarding the topic of working from home. It makes a difference whether employees work in an environment where utility costs are subsidised by the state. Offices are excluded from the subsidies, therefore home office might be a logical step.

Heating up offices became quite expensive in the past year. Because of this, a jump in working from home is expected. This move can help businesses to cut down on costs, by spending less on the upkeep of office spaces. From the report of Világgazdaság.hu, we know that home office as an option is still fluctuating in Hungary. Employees want more freedom so that they can work from home, while employers are still insisting on using outdated office spaces. However, employers might need to give in as new recruits demand partial or full-time home office.

Working from home

Most employees have tasted the freedom of home office for the past 2.5 years. It became increasingly hard for employers to lure everyone back into the offices. Without regulations though, even home office has disadvantages. Still, from the 4.5 million working people in the country, 1 million can expect to switch to at least partially working from home. 400,000 of them might even permanently switch to home office.

Remote working is quite rare here in Hungary and only around 10 percent of the workforce works in this way. Meanwhile, the European Union’s average is about 25-27 percent. Before the pandemic, only about 200,000 people were working remotely. After the pandemic, this jumped to about 700,000 people. Utility costs might cause a similar effect to that of the pandemic. This is helped by the fact that businesses can give utility subsidies to their employees. 10 percent of the minimum wage or approximately HUF 22,000 (EUR 50) might not seem much of a help, but it is something. This means that businesses can give a little pay rise without having to pay increased taxes. Home office can be beneficial for both parties.

Productivity is much more important than the time spent working. Home office was proven to be a viable method of working during the pandemic. Remote working is spreading and it will not be stopped.

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Source: vg.hu