More than a third of Australians are still working from home, a sign that flexible working conditions have become the norm, despite 82 percent of bosses being annoyed.
Analysis of data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Economic Development Committee of Australia shows that WFH conditions have remained consistent over the past two years.
But the latest data from the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Director Sentiment Index Survey shows that 82 percent of Australian bosses want their employees back in the office full-time.
About 36 percent of Australian workers reported working from home regularly in August, only slightly down from 37 percent in 2023.
In 2016, WFH was only available to five percent of employees.
A large proportion of those who choose to benefit from flexible working conditions are managers and professionals: 60 percent, unchanged from 2023.
Meanwhile, only 21 percent of other professions are WFH.
Flexibility was the main reason people chose WFH at 25 percent, while almost 24 percent said they worked from home and 20 percent used WFH to catch up on after-hours tasks.
More than a third of Australians are still working from home, years after the Covid pandemic
Hybrid workers showed high job satisfaction and lower absenteeism rates, especially non-managers, female workers and workers with long commutes
CEDA highlighted a number of statistics showing that people who were “previously less likely to be employed continue to benefit from the shift to hybrid work,” including eight percent of women who work from home for childcare and family reasons.
New Household and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey data released last week shows that employment rates in jobs where people could work from home increased by nine per cent for women with young children and 4.4 per cent for those with a disability or health condition. 2023,” it said.
However, the results may not be enough to change the minds of many bosses who want to see employees in offices permanently.
‘A KPMG survey of more than 1,300 CEOs in 11 countries shows that 83 percent now expect a full return to the office within the next three years, a notable increase from 64 percent in 2023. In Australia the result was similar, at 82 percent. percent,” CEDA said.
The committee urged bosses to consider the benefits of flexible working arrangements, including access to a larger workforce pool.
A recent study by Stanford University economics professor Nicholas Bloom found several other positives about WFH schemes, including improved staff retention.
The randomized study, published in Nature earlier this year surveyed more than 1,600 employees of a Chinese technology company.
Those who worked from home two days a week had high job satisfaction, falling by a third.
About two-thirds of Australian business directors agreed that flexible working conditions improved staff retention
The largest positive difference was noted among non-managers, female employees and employees with long commute times.
Additionally, the study found no difference in performance ratings or promotion rates for hybrid employees over a two-year period.
About two-thirds of Australian business directors agreed that flexible working conditions improved staff retention, attraction and health, ACID found.
“Their views on the impact of working from home on productivity and innovation have improved slightly over the past year, but remain negative: only 39 percent believe that working from home is good for productivity, while only 28 percent believe that working from home is good for innovation,” said CEDA.
However, with hybrid working conditions proving to be a major incentive for workers, the committee urged bosses not to turn the change into an “industrial relations battleground.”