Dutch employers are becoming stricter in enforcing policies about working from home and increasingly expect staff to come into the office on agreed days, according to new research by employers’ organisation AWVN.

The research shows that and informal approach to hybrid working is disappearing and companies are now setting clearer boundaries, the agency, which helps companies in their pay and conditions negotiations, said.

The survey found that 78% of employers now require staff to be present at the office for a certain number of days each week while 59% plan or have already asked workers to come into the office more often.

The main reasons for bringing people back to the office were social rather than practical – maintaining company culture, teamwork, informal contact and onboarding new colleagues.

Homeworking became widespread during the coronavirus lockdowns and remains a fixture in Dutch working life.

Some 97% of employers in the survey said some of their staff work from home or another location, while 55% said their employees use a hybrid arrangement, splitting time between home and the office. Both figures are unchanged from previous years.

On average, full-time employees who work from home do so two days a week. Friday remains the most popular homeworking day, followed by Wednesday and Monday.

The share of employers paying a homeworking allowance has also increased. Some 79% of companies now offer expenses, up from 70% last year, and most pay the tax-free rate of €2.40 per day.

A total of 355 AWVN members took part in the survey, representing a broad cross-section of Dutch businesses.