Samenvatting

In March 2020 life as we know it changed abruptly and indefinitely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. From one day to the next people were expected to work from home, while not everyone was equally equipped to do so in a safe and healthy manner. During a period of four months research was conducted on the topic of working from home, more specifically facilitating working from home during and after COVID-19. Research was conducted at ORGANISATION X located in Zwolle, one of the largest energy providers in the Netherlands. The main research question was: How can ORGANISATION X Energy Zwolle facilitate employees working from home, taking into account the needs of the different stakeholders i.e. employees, HR, facilities department and management?

Results show that 90% of employees want to continue working from home two or three days per week after COVID-19. However, employees would like the flexibility to choose when they work from home. Most employees were able to create a safe and healthy workplace at home. Creating a healthy work-life balance has proven difficult, time not spent commuting is used to work longer hours. A large percentage of employees’ have experienced a decline in mental and physical health. The main reason for the decline in mental health is the lack of social interaction. Research show that frequent contact with managers and co-workers are crucial for the wellbeing at work. However, employees should make sure to plan these social calls to prevent it from being disruptive. Lastly, many employees would like to receive a monetary compensation for costs incurred while working from home. Future trends include; hybrid working, looking for team-work solutions closer to home i.e. community hubs, calling more frequently instead of video calling and using the office as a place to meet instead.

In order to facilitate employees working from home, ORGANISATION X should investigate the possibility of providing employees with wireless headsets to increase mobility. ORGANISATION X should also give the employees the freedom to decide when they work from home, this could vary per week. Next to that, they should follow the Nibud advice and give employees a compensation of €2 per day when working from home. ORGANISATION X should support quality time at work and conduct further research into alternatives for social interaction other than MS Teams. Furthermore, they should share tips and tricks on how employees can create a healthy work-life balance. Finally, ORGANISATION X should train managers in distance leadership and encourage managers to do more frequent (mental) health check-ins.