In Some Geographies, the Office Has More Room – And Air Conditioning
Why does work from home vary so much across countries? While some point to a culture of individualism in English-speaking countries, I think living space and conditions play a huge role.
Average work-from-home rates are higher in English-speaking countries, according to the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA). Remote working arrangements decline in European countries. They decline even more in Latin America and South Africa, with significantly lower rates in Asia.
That’s not to say people aren’t interested in remote work. On a global basis, more people are searching for remote work than ever, according to Google Trends. However, as the SWAA researchers note, the prevalence of remote working arrangements correlates with whether countries value “personal freedom, autonomy, achievements and self-reliance.”
But families in those countries also, in general, have smaller houses, condos and apartments than you’ll find in U.S. suburbs.
In other words, if you’re living in cramped quarters, maybe heading to the office gives you a break!
We English Speakers Love Our Living Space – and Lots of It
Decades of travel and my network of Tompkins Ventures partners remind me of one thing: English-speaking countries love our living space.
We like a lot of it. Except in urban environments like Manhattan and San Francisco, few in the U.S. want to live in tiny apartments.
In fact, I was surprised to discover that the United States ranks second or third in average house size, depending on the source. I figured we would be first.
The World Population Review puts the U.S. second at an average of 1,900 square feet, behind Australia (2,032 square feet). Shrink That Footprint places the U.S. third at 2,164 square feet. They have Australia No. 1 at 2,303 square feet, with New Zealand No. 2 at 2,174 square feet.
European countries range from 800-1,400 square feet (and many lack air conditioning). Most sources have China, Russia, India and Hong Kong (part of China now more than ever) last in the living space race. Average house/apartment sizes there range from 646 square feet in China to 484 in Hong Kong.
Data on developing countries seem scant to non-existent. But many living places in Asia and the Middle East have enough space to sleep, use the bathroom and eat breakfast.
Frankly, that just doesn’t leave enough room for much of the world to comfortably work from home. Unless you want to work on the kitchen counter – without air conditioning.
Cramped Urban Areas Make Fully Remote Work Less Viable
Certain urban U.S. areas have the same space limitations. You can find 275-square-foot apartments in Chicago and 550-square-foot apartments in Atlanta.
No, not every place is as small as a 55-square-foot apartment on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. Or the “spacious” 135-square-foot number in the West Village. But I know several finance colleagues who love living in cramped Manhattan quarters.
Their Manhattan nightlife is great. They can see a Broadway show and then walk a few blocks to eat steak au poivre and enjoy a glass of Bordeaux.
The next day, the commute is by foot or subway. To a fancy office.
But there’s no way they want to work from home. And I wouldn’t either.
Culture, Society and Attitudes Affect Remote-Hybrid Work Models
Now, I certainly don’t discount the research by the Survey of Working Arrangements and Attitudes (SWAA). Remote work will not work if bosses cannot trust their charges with high degrees of autonomy.
More hierarchical societies will be less comfortable with the fact that they cannot walk down the hall and see the people they are managing. And workers with a high degree of individualism are more motivated to deliver.
Otherwise, you just might call them back into the office full time.
The data show a high correlation between individualism and work from home arrangements. For example, in highly individualistic Australia, working from home at least two days a week is the norm among the white-collar set. Knowledge workers have a remote work edge on the blue-collar cohort. (Although, as I’ve pointed out, you can give blue-collar workers optionality, as well.)
SWAA also emphasizes that countries with harsher lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 tend to have more remote work options now. The more workers and employees discovered they didn’t have to co-locate to be effective, the more they liked it.
When you peer behind the cultural and societal factors, the future of work looks different in different geographies. Workers’ attitudes toward autonomy, work environment, job satisfaction and real estate costs all play a part.
For example, a company like Tompkins Ventures cannot choose the benefits of hybrid work. Nobody is commuting even two days a week from Tennessee to Georgia or North Carolina to Canada. And I’m not paying to move them all to North Carolina!
A Hybrid Future, Shaped by Space and Culture
Ultimately, the feasibility of remote work depends on more than just culture and societal norms. Living conditions play a huge part.
In countries where space is at a premium, heading into the office for more breathing room is understandable. Conversely, places with larger homes offer the appeal of working from a comfortable personal space.
The future of remote and hybrid work is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The unique interplay of individualism, societal trust in autonomy and the practical realities of our living environments will create different reinventions of work for different situations. If people in countries with lower rates of remote work want those work from home options, they’re going to need larger living spaces.
So, where and how we live has a profound impact on where and how we work.
Like us, many businesses operate across borders these days. It’s important for the C-suite to understand these nuances. It’s up to you to reinvent work models that suit company needs and enhance employee productivity and satisfaction.
Related Reading
- The Future Office: An Innovation Space, Not Workstation Warehouse
- 3 Buckets to Help You Reinvent Work
- Future of Work Might Require Rethinking Office Location
Jim Tompkins, Chairman of Tompkins Ventures, is an international authority on designing and implementing end-to-end supply chains. Over five decades, he has designed countless industrial facilities and supply chain solutions, enhancing the growth of numerous companies. He previously built Tompkins International from a backyard startup into an international consulting and implementation firm. Jim earned his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Purdue University.