A PandemicEX Survey October Update: German Employees Want To Work From Home, But German Employers Are More Inflexible Than Their European Peers

This third installment of Forrester’s PandemicEX Survey, fielded in October in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK, aims to further technology, marketing, and employee experience (EX) leaders’ insight into employees’ views of the pandemic and its effects. Here, we focus on the experience of German employees. Fear of exposure and concerns about personal safety have declined in Germany since Forrester fielded the first PandemicEX survey in March. However, as of October, 46% of German employees report that they’re experiencing coronavirus fatigue and feeling overwhelmed. Companies’ actions to mitigate the risks of and respond to COVID-19 crisis are also seeing a downward trend, signaling that the German economy has been recovering between May and October 2020. The percentage of German employees who reported that their employers had frozen new hiring declined markedly between May (31%) and October (just 18%). Executives must prepare for a prolonged crisis across Europe (and the globe) and envision recovery plans during the second wave of infections and its aftermath. To understand how, schedule an inquiry with our experts on the future of work, innovation, and EX.