Working from home polarizing; 25% hate it, especially managers

Opinions in the Netherlands are divided on working from home. While a majority of people now working from home are very satisfied with doing so, 25 percent actively hate it. Especially managers and supervisors are finding the home office a dissatisfying experience, according to a survey by Arbo Unie, BNR reports.

The majority of respondents gave working from home a score of 7 or 8 out of 10. But a quarter scored it a 1 or 2. According to Jan van den Hoogen, those who don't like working from home mainly miss the social aspect of going to work. A video call is just not the same, he said to the broadcaster.

He is not surprised that it is especially managers who struggle with working from home. "The manager is strongly challenged to keep in touch with employees. This requires new policies - working from home is not a question of software and video calling," Van den Hoogen said.

Because being a manager is about more than just making sure that everyone is doing their job. "We see that people take much more onto themselves and skip breaks. So keep taking good care of yourself, make sure that the workplace is tidy and that the rituals remain in order: keep dressing like normal, compensate your travel time by taking a walk," Van den Hoogen said to the broadcaster.