A survey by Deloitte showed that 66 percent of large German companies want to use remote working more intensively in the future.

The trend towards home offices triggered by the Corona crisis will change the economy in Germany in the long term. When asked about the long-term effects of Corona for their company, 66 percent of the CFOs of large companies surveyed by the management consultancy Deloitte said: “We are planning to increasingly rely on remote working.”

First of all, that costs money. 43 percent said: “We will significantly expand our cyber protection due to increased remote working.” On the other hand, the companies are saving: “We are planning to reduce our office space in the future due to the increased number of home offices,” said 37 percent of the CFOs surveyed.

Reduce costs through home office

“Cost cutting” will be high on the list of strategic measures for 71 percent of managers over the next twelve months. When investments are made, 61 percent want to spend more money on “optimizing organization and business processes”. With “software, data, IT networks and website activities” 47 percent want to place a stronger focus.

The verdict of the CFOs on the effectiveness of the government aid worth billions was mixed. The short-time working allowance helped their company, said 54 percent of those surveyed. In contrast, only 5 percent saw the reduction in VAT as helpful.

The survey was carried out online between September 3 and 30, 2020. 100 CFOs of major German companies took part in the survey. 62 percent of the participating companies achieve a turnover of more than 500 million euros, 36 percent more than one billion euros. The real estate, mechanical engineering and automotive industries dominate the industry structure.