Young people will suffer most from continued work from home, researcher says

Young people will suffer most if the current work-from-home trend continues after the coronavirus, Vrije Universiteit researcher Kilian Wawoe concluded in a study of thousands of people. Especially people in their twenties, who are just starting out in their career, will miss out on learning from their colleagues, Wawoe said to NOS Radio 1 Journaal.

According to Wawoe, the risk is that people who find it pleasant to work from home, "people in their late forties, will arrange it in such a way that it is pleasant for themselves." Leaving young workers in their twenties to pay the bill. "That group is not only looking for contact, but also for knowledge, because they are not yet very skilled in their profession. If you are at home, how can you learn a trade?"

"Young people communicate differently than people in their forties. Where older people find it pleasant to call, people in their twenties almost never do that. So if I sit at home and say: just call me if there's anything, then a young person hardly ever gets contact again," Wawoe added.

The D66 and GroenLinks are working on a bill that will oblige employers to let their employees work from home if they want to, unless there is a good reason for them to be at the office. Wawoe is against this idea. "What you get then is that the group that finds it pleasant, sits at home. Work is a team sport, you should not just think: what works well for me."