One in five (20%) European workers admit they have taken a virtual meeting from their bed, as a new study from global research and insights agency Opinium Europe looks at working behaviours among 9,400 working adults across the continent.
This rises to 31% among Danish workers, 28% among Swiss workers and 22% of Spanish workers. One in five confess they have held a meeting from under their duvet in the UK and Ireland (both 19%). As do 18% of workers in the Netherlands and 18% of workers in Sweden. Less than one in five workers in Germany and Italy (both 17%) admit to this and just 13% of French workers say they have done the same.
Furthermore, 19% of European workers confess they’ve had an alcoholic drink when working from home, increasing to 29% among Danish workers, 28% among Swiss workers, and 22% among UK workers. Only 8% of Swedish workers admit to drinking on the job.
Pressure to look the part at work
Opinium’s Report also investigated how workers feel in certain situations in the workplace. It found that a quarter (26%) of European workers feel pressured by their employers to look a certain way at work. This rises to 38% in Denmark, 33% in Switzerland and 30% in France, whereas just 14% of Swedish workers feel pressured to dress in a certain way.
One in five (19%) European workers also feel pressured by their employer to drink alcohol at client or social events, rising to three in ten in Denmark and Switzerland (both 29%).
Men are just as comfortable as women talking about their mental health with their boss
Male workers across Europe feel just as comfortable as female workers asking their boss for time off work for mental health reasons (40% compared to 37% respectively), as the conversation around mental health becomes more open in the workplace.
Almost a quarter of men (23%) reported feeling uncomfortable broaching this subject with their boss, compared to 30% of women who feel the same way. However, a fifth (22%) of men admitted they have lied to their boss about taking time off for mental health, compared to 16% of women.
Female workers feel less comfortable asking for a pay rise
While the gender gap might be closing on the topic of mental health, the same can’t be said for pay. Across all European markets two in five (39%) men said they feel comfortable asking for a pay rise dropping to 28% of women. Male workers are also more likely to say they feel comfortable talking about a promotion with their boss (37%), compared to just 27% of women.
Emily Dickinson, Head Opinium Europe, comments: “Hybrid working is now normal in most European workplaces, and clearly many workers are using this to their advantage and taking meetings where they feel most comfortable – literally. Yet some workers still don’t totally comfortable in their workplace, with many feeling under pressure to look or behave in a certain way.
“And whilst it’s positive to see that the gender gap around speaking about mental health has shrunk, there are still some subjects that female employees feel less comfortable speaking to their boss about than men do. As leaders strive to build inclusive workplaces, these are clearly areas they should look to address.”
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