Three Years of Work from Home – Empirical Study on the Status Quo and a Future of Work at Distributed Workplaces

Since the corona pandemic, the home office phenomenon has become integral to public awareness. In this second part of the Work from Home Study of the Technical University (TU) Darmstadt, the research team re-examines the particular work situation of “work from home” in January 2023.

Based on the data collected, scientifically sound findings on the status quo can be obtained, urgently needed in research and practice to answer essential questions of future office development.

It is essential to find out what challenges and successes people face today when working from home and what a future working world should look like for them:

How satisfied are employees currently with working from home? Have the requirements for productive work changed? How do the framework conditions of work influence work success? Which (third) places of work have become relevant in people's everyday working lives beside the home office – coworking spaces, satellite offices or workation? Does boredom (boreout) or overwork (burnout) predominate among employees?

One thousand five hundred employees in Germany are surveyed about their work situation at home, in the office and third places (e.g. coworking spaces).

The research project aims to measure work-from-home success through a quantitative survey of employees, away from the bias caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and to show a picture of the future world of work in distributed locations. With the results' help, the TU Darmstadt scientists will create implications for employers, politics, the real estate industry and urban planning.