Constance Home Office Study 2026: Home Office as a Lever in the Energy Crisis

Spring 2026 – while the world debates oil, gas and new supply shocks, millions of people in Germany still spend their mornings stuck in traffic. The new Constance Home Office Study 2026 from the Future of Work Lab Konstanz takes an uncomfortable look at this reality and shows: we have one of the most powerful levers right in front of us. We just refuse to pull it.

A study that is more than statistics

For years, the Konstanz researchers have been asking representatively how people in Germany work – where, how much, how satisfied. The latest wave from the University of Konstanz puts a special focus on home office in times of energy crisis. The findings are not just numbers. They are a mirror of what we collectively waste – every single working day.

The one number that changes everything: 32 million litres

If commuters in Germany worked just one additional day per week from home, more than 32 million litres of fuel could be saved every day. That is roughly the equivalent of filling up around 640,000 mid-sized cars. Per day. An independent analysis by metalogy.de arrives at the same conclusion.

"In 2026, home office is no longer a comfort question. It is an energy-policy lever." – Future of Work Lab Konstanz

That number reframes the debate. It moves us away from the eternal "Do we trust our employees?" towards a much bigger question: "Can we as an economy afford to leave this potential on the table?" The International Energy Agency (IEA) also identifies transport as one of the largest levers for reducing fossil fuel consumption.

56 % want more. And get less.

The study reveals a striking gap between what employees want and what they get:

• 56 % of employees in home-office-capable roles want more remote days than they currently have.
• On average, the gap between desired and actual remote days is around 40 %.
• In knowledge work, the desired number of home-office days is 3.1 per week – the reality: 1.9.

This gap is not a soft HR topic. It is an early warning system: companies that systematically underdeliver on what their workforce wants will lose talent to employers who get it. Read more in our pillar on Home Office in HR Practice and on Why onyo: Employee Experience.

Why the office isn't disappearing in 2026 – but needs to be reimagined

The Konstanz researchers are not ideologues. Nobody is calling for "100 % home office for everyone". On the contrary: the study shows that hybrid models – a smart mix of office and home – perform best, both on productivity and on satisfaction. The office remains the place for connection, culture and co-creation. But not for every email.

The invisible condition: a workspace that deserves the name

Here the study gets concrete – and uncomfortable. Home office only delivers positive effects (for employees, companies and the energy balance) when three things are right:

1. Ergonomics: chair, desk, monitor, light. The kitchen table is not a solution – it is a burnout accelerator. See what a real workstation looks like with onyo Home Office Equipment.
2. Clear agreements between manager and team. Not rigid rules, but reliable expectations.
3. Reliable technology and IT support that is still reachable at 5:30 pm.

This is where many companies fail today. They allow home office – but they don't enable it. That difference decides whether 32 million litres of savings potential turn into real tonnes of CO₂ avoided.

What HR can do right now – very concretely

• Audit the gap between desire and reality in your own workforce. A short anonymous survey is enough.
• Anchor home office in your ESG strategy as a measurable contribution to Scope 3 emission reductions.
• Invest in equipment. A fully ergonomic home workstation costs less than a single square metre of Munich office rent – per year. For an overview see our comparison: self-procurement vs. onyo.
• Measure the impact: commuting kilometres saved, CO₂ footprint, sick days, applications. All of it is quantifiable.

The bigger thought

Energy crises come and go. What stays is the question of how we want to work – and what price we are willing to pay for cherished routines. The Konstanz study delivers no ideological answer. It delivers an economic one, an ecological one, and a deeply human one.

Maybe the most important sentence of the study is the one between the lines: Employees are further along than their employers. They know how they work productively. They know that less commuting means more life. And they know that every litre of diesel that isn't burned is a good litre.

It is now up to companies to stop ignoring this truth – and to make it productive.

Download the study

The full Constance Home Office Study 2026 with all data, charts and methodology is available as a free PDF download in the Inspiring Whitepapers section.

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Sources: Future of Work Lab Konstanz – Constance Home Office Study 2026; University of Konstanz press release; metalogy.de; IEA – Transport.