35% of Czech employees are working from home due to the coronavirus

Prague, March 23 (CTK) – Roughly 35 percent of employees in the Czech Republic are now working from home, a measure introduced as part of the fight against the novel coronavirus in the country, according to a poll conducted last week by the Instant Research for the Sazka company and released today.

Out of the people working from home, two-fifths report that they lack immediate contact with their colleagues. One-fourth also report that their family and children are a disruptive influence on their work from home, making it hard to focus.

Although over 60 percent of employees received recommendations from their employers on how to use the time spent at home for self-improvement and the development of their skills, more than half of all Czechs admit that they have no interest in such matters while in quarantine.

Only one-tenth of respondents said they are interested in deepening their knowledge and improving their skills while in quarantine.

The same number of respondents said they plan to spend time exercising and practise new languages, with 12 percent saying they will at least read educational literature.

When asked about how they spend time in quarantine, two-fifths of respondents reported they are cleaning their apartment, one-fifth said they read more and 17 percent said they spend more time with their children. Six percent of respondents also noted they spend more time practicing sex.

The poll shows that most people, one third, relax best by going for a walk. One-fourth said they watch television, one-fifth watch videos on the Internet and one-tenth exercise regularly.

“An interesting fact to note is that social media are not reported as the Internet activity of choice, as is the case in most polls of this type, with 53 percent of Czechs reporting they mainly search for current events and news,” Sazka spokesman Petr Tybl said.

Czechs also reported that they indulge in bad habits, with 34 percent saying they experience more laziness, roughly 25 percent said they take less care of their looks, 13 percent eat more than normal, 7 percent smoke more and 6 percent drink more alcohol.

The poll was conducted last week on 1,090 Czechs aged 18-60.