Exploring Approaches to Increasing the Attractiveness of the Face-to-Face- Workplace: A Comparison between Germany and Tanzania

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-705-7_25How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Home office; office work benefits; workplace attractiveness

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a global shift to remote work to reduce health risks. Similar to other years, in 2023, around 22% of German employees worked from home, for reasons like offering greater staff flexibility and saving commuting time. Many companies are now implementing return-to-office policies to encourage employees back to the office. In Tanzania, however, little is known about these efforts except in banking, telecom and higher learning institutions. Notwithstanding some employees valuing remote work when choosing an employer. Return to the office fosters better communication, coordination, and knowledge exchange. This study explores approaches to enhancing the attractiveness of face-to-face workplaces in Germany and Tanzania, focusing on cultural, organisational, and practical strategies that increase employee engagement. In Germany, flexible work arrangements, such as hybrid models and flexible hours, have shaped workplace appeal, aligning with a broader focus on work-life balance and employee autonomy. In contrast, Tanzania’s workplace dynamics are influenced by cultural values and hierarchical designs, which are being balanced with inclusive management strategies and employee recognition programmes to attract and retain talent. The comparative survey examines the different approaches that influence workplace attractiveness in both countries, offering insights on how businesses can modify these tactics to suit their business settings. The study offers to issue valuable insights for multi-national corporations looking to maximize their face-to-face workplaces, while taking local cultural contexts and global trends into account.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Download article (PDF)

TY  - CONF
AU  - Neema Mtebe
AU  - Katja Stamer
AU  - Tim Hauger
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/13
TI  - Exploring Approaches to Increasing the Attractiveness of the Face-to-Face- Workplace: A Comparison between Germany and Tanzania
BT  - Proceedings of the FIREtalk Conference - Research on FIRE! (research-on-fire 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 359
EP  - 372
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-705-7_25
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-705-7_25
ID  - Mtebe2026
ER  -