SAP tells employees to choose their post-COVID work plans

Employees want the freedom to choose where they work — and it’s not back at the office.

More than 80% of employees told SAP they envision hybrid work in the future, leading the business software platform to announce 100% flexibility for all employees. The “Pledge to Flex” model will allow employees to work remotely, in the office, or a combination of both — no questions asked.

“We continue to believe in a workplace based on trust and empowerment because employees are at the heart of what we do,” SAP CEO Christian Klein said in a release. “Our pledge to flex is designed to ensure employees have what they need to be productive, creative and inspired while running the business responsibly and meeting business requirements.”

The company found that when given the opportunity to choose their own work arrangements, half plan to work in the office one to two days a week. A quarter of employees have expressed interest in permanent remote work, and just 6% have plans to return to the office full time.

Read more: 5 business leaders share their plans for going back to the office

Employees have embraced remote work and have growing anxiety around returning to a pre-COVID normal. Two-thirds of employees say they have anxiety about returning to the workplace after more than a year of remote working, according to the most recent Mental Health Index by Total Brain and the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.

Remote workers have hit their stride and are more productive than their office counterparts. A survey by outsourcing firm AirTasker found that remote employees had 27 minutes of unproductive time per day, compared to 37 minutes for office workers. More than half of office workers said they looked for distractions to avoid work, compared to 36% of remote workers.

Read more: Employees resist return-to-work plans

Klein said the SAP pledge is a win for all employees and the organization as a whole. The firm will be rethinking their office footprint to maximize opportunities for collaboration, without excluding employees who choose to work from home. Technology will continue to be the thread that holds their teams together.

“The global shift to working from home has led to new employee preferences and better understanding of how productivity and collaboration can successfully continue despite working remotely,” Klein said. “SAP has embraced a location-agnostic work style for decades. We have built a truly global workforce and supported employees with mobile technology to enable work to happen from anywhere, anytime.”