The Latest News on Remote Work, Travel Advice and Brexit
India
74% of the professionals willing to work remotely
29% of respondents reported saving INR 3,000-5,000 per month as a result of working from home
Flex workspace provider Awfis released a teleworking report to provide insight into the changing needs and preferences of the urban Indian workforce for their workplace following the outbreak of COVID-19 and nationwide isolation.
The online survey highlights the various challenges and opportunities that employees have faced and identified in this new work mode. In addition, the study also focuses on the willingness and ability of employees to continue to work remotely from their home, as well as the infrastructure requirements that, among other things, help them to work efficiently. The remote working report also highlights some important aspects that organizations need to consider when developing their long-term teleworking strategies.
The survey was conducted over two months (June and July 2020) in seven cities in India and analyzed the contributions of 1,000 employees from various industries.
Key Motivations
- 74% of respondents are willing to work remotely, and 80% indicated that their work roles can be performed from a remote environment.
- 29% of respondents reported saving INR 3,000-5,000 per month as a result of working from home that would otherwise be spent on travel, clothing, food, etc.
- 60% of employees typically spend more than an hour commuting to and from the office. Thus, by working from home, on average, employee saves 1.47 hours of travel time every day. This means 44 additional working days per year.
Thus, a positive attitude towards working from remote locations can be attributed to factors such as significant cost savings, significant time savings, better time management and self-discipline.
Key Challenges
Lack of space and equipment. 47% of surveyed employees report a lack of a comfortable table and chair, and 71% believe they will be able to work from home if they have a dedicated place to work.
Read more on www.peoplematters.in
The Netherlands; UK
Amsterdam travel advice: Is Amsterdam on lockdown?
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not recommend travel to the Netherlands
Amsterdam is a place visited by about a million Brits every year, with picturesque canals, popular museums and quirky cafes. With only a short flight or ferry from the UK, the Netherlands is easy to reach, but with the spread of the coronavirus, travel has become more difficult lately.
So-called tourist corridors have been created between the UK and other countries to get the tourism industry back on track. However, the list of countries that the British can visit could be cut at any time if the data shows a surge in COVID-19 infections.
The British government was not afraid to introduce quarantine measures for countries that are seeing an increase in cases. After the country has been removed from the corridor list, all Britons returning to the UK must be quarantined for 14 days upon arrival.
Currently, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not recommend travel to the Netherlands. The FCO says this is related to the current COVID-19 risk assessment. The number of coronavirus cases reported in the Netherlands last week stood at 3,588, but continues to decline.
Read more on www.express.co.uk
Germany
Germany scraps plans for Brexit talks at EU ambassadors summit
EU officials believe the UK government is willing o risk a no-deal exit when the transition period ends
Germany has scrapped plans to discuss Brexit at a diplomatic summit next week, as there has been “no tangible progress” in the talks, as Brussels laments a “completely wasted” summer.
Now EU officials believe the UK government is willing o risk a no-deal exit when the transition period ends on December 31, and will try to blame Brussels if negotiations fail.
The German government, which alternately presides over the EU Council, intended to discuss Brexit at a meeting of EU ambassadors on September 2, but has now removed the matter. “Since there hasn’t been any tangible progress in EU-UK negotiations, the Brexit item was taken off the agenda,” an EU diplomat said.
The decision matters because Angela Merkel has been announced as a potential stakeholder in the deal when negotiations on future UK-EU relations reach a critical stage this fall.
Last week, the German Chancellor met with Emmanuel Macron at the French President’s official residence on the French Riviera, where they discussed the future of the EU after Brexit. After an unsuccessful round of negotiations last week, both governments made nearly identical statements calling for “concrete answers” from the British government.
“Over the recent months Franco-German cooperation has gained new traction,” said the EU diplomat, with the two countries having “realigned” on issues including Brexit. “Given this new reality it would be futile to wait for a white knight from Paris or Berlin to come to the rescue.”
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