Some 82.6% of employees in Romania say that working from home has affected their relationship with their team, according to a survey conducted by office developer Genesis Property.
Moreover, nearly 88% of employees who have returned to the office or work in a hybrid system with a predominantly physical presence say they spend a good amount of time interacting and collaborating directly with colleagues when they are in the office.
Three out of 10 employees say that the lack of physical interaction and collaboration has had an effect on their career development, over 38% feel that working from home has also affected their day-to-day activity at work, and about as many believe that also the company's business can suffer in the long run in a remote working system. Physical interaction among employees currently focuses on project collaboration or team activities (63.5%), and on socializing(23.5%).
”The importance of workplace interaction has become increasingly clear in the last years, and solid career development, especially for that just starting, cannot take shape without this collaborative component. Physical interaction in the office, whether in a formal or informal setting, provides the opportunity for a much more detailed and nuanced understanding of the work environment and the steps that need to be taken to move up the career ladder,” says Teodor Stoica, Human Resources Manager at Genesis Property.
Also, nearly 95% of respondents believe that young employees, at the beginning of their career, would benefit more in their careers if they came into the office at least a few days a week.
“Moreover, equally important are the obvious benefits of physical interaction on each individual, as being around our peers can positively affect our mental and physical health,” added Stoica.
The survey was conducted nationwide in February 2022 via the iVox platform on a total sample of 1,073 internet users in Romania. Some 57% of participants are women, over 60% are aged between 20 and 40, and 60% have a net income of more than 3,000 lei.
Genesis Property has launched the IMMUNE Building Standard, an innovative global standard that certifies the resilience of buildings to health threats.
