Ljubljana - Two thirds of the participants of a survey on work models have expressed a wish for hybrid work, meaning they would prefer to work partly from home. The conventional in-office model is preferred by 11%, while 22% are in favour of switching fully to remote work.

Job search and career web portal Mojedelo.com, which quizzed 708 of its users whose work profile allows work from home, said the findings showed the notion of "a standard work model" has acquired a completely new meaning.

"Both employers and workers have started wondering about whether it makes sense to hold on to the kind of work process that we were accustomed to before the pandemic," Mojedelo wrote.

It noted that major global companies had responded to the new circumstances in different ways, with Shopify for instance opting for a full transition to work from home, Netflix arguing in favour of in-office work, while Disney, Google, Microsoft, Meta and Amazon are turning to a hybrid model.

The survey meanwhile also showed the preferences of workers correlated closely with age. "It is is not surprising that the younger generation is happy about the option to work remotely."

Labour Inspectorate data shows 217,428 people were registered as working from home last year in Slovenia, a more than 100-fold increase compared to pre-pandemic times. According to Mojedelo, global research is showing that remote work is not a temporary anomaly on the labour market.

"It brings a number of advantages for both employers and employees, including lower costs, time savings, flexibility and as a result of that greater satisfaction and productivity," Mojedelo head of marketing Nika Rakonjac said, while also noting remote work allowed working from one's preferred location, possibly a different country.

However, Mojedelo also pointed to the importance of live contact, which often allows a faster and more efficient resolution of issues or work challenges. Working at the office moreover makes it easier to preserve a clearer delineation between work and leisure.