Working from home isn't going anywhere, experts say. But what should it actually look like?(ABC News: Keana Naughton)
It's been more than four years since the COVID-19 pandemic first disrupted the way we work, sending millions of employees home to do their jobs remotely.
While many have been filtering back to the office since, most working-from-home arrangements have stuck and many experts believe they're here to stay.
This week, the NSW government provided new guidance instructing government employees to work primarily from the office or for three days a week, but said it was not mandating a particular pattern of attendance.
Individual agencies will be left to set their own policies and flexible working arrangements will remain, particularly for people with carer responsibilities and external commitments.
There's been a mixed response from those in the sector, with Premier Chris Minns getting a taste of the public reaction after posting the policy details to his social media — some calling it a backward step and others saying the changes will make life harder for vulnerable people and working parents.
So, we spoke to two experts about the impact of working from home and what arrangements are most effective. Here's what they had to say:
How many of us are actually working from home?
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare said the sustained increase in people working from home suggested there may not be a return to pre-pandemic levels, with 37 per cent of Australians working from home regularly, according to ABS data from 2023.
Managers and professionals are also the most likely to work remotely, with 60 per cent doing so regularly last year.
It said survey results from July 2022 suggested 88 per cent of Australian workers would like to work from home at least partially, and 60 per cent would prefer hybrid work — where employees divide their time between the office and remotely.
Prior to the pandemic, 13 per cent of people reported working from home all or most days, and that doubled to around 26 to 31 per cent from September 2020 to February 2021, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Does working from home make you less productive?
NSW Premier Chris Minns this week said overseas studies showed people were less productive when working from home.
While it's unclear what overseas studies he was referencing, working-from-home habits vary across different countries, industries, and occupations — and they have different impacts.
John Hopkins says firms need to look at what works best for both them and their employees.(Supplied: Swinburne University of Technology)
John Hopkins is associate professor of management at Swinburne University of Technology and says it's risky to base working arrangement decisions on research in different countries and sectors.
I think firms need to look at what works best for them, what works best for the type of work they do, what works best for the people that they have, he said.
I think obviously any benefits that you have for your employees are a benefit for the organisation as well.
Professor Stefan Volk is professor of management at the University of Sydney Business School and argues working entirely remotely is not as efficient as working in the office, but flexibility is still important.
If there's one good thing that came out of the pandemic, it's the realisation of many employers that providing flexible work arrangements can be beneficial both for the company as well as for the employees, but it has to be a balance between working on-site and flexible work, he said.
Stefan Volk says flexibility in work is important to maintain.(Supplied)
Professor Volk said innovation and collaboration suffer when people are only working remotely, but that doesn't mean they can't be productive at home.
I think both is required, and also entirely working in the office is not the way to go, because it puts people under a lot of stress in terms of personal life responsibilities, he said.
Professor Volk also went a step further, suggesting employers should also allow their employees to work at times when they feel more productive, instead of a focus on the 9–5 standardised work schedule.
In letting people work during their high-performance times during the day, we know that significantly improves performance, no matter whether it's in the office or at home.
Is hybrid work here to stay?
Dr Hopkins said a survey by the Swinburne University of Technology in May this year found the number of people working hybrid had risen from 56 per cent in 2022 to more than 72 per cent.
He added there had been a significant drop in the number of people working full-time in the office or full-time remotely.
Data from Swinburne University of Technology shows more people have been working partially at home in recent years.(ABC News: Keana Naughton)
I think that a lot of managers have now realised things aren't going to go back to 2019, they're not going to go back to pre-pandemic time, Dr Hopkins said.
So rather than focus on getting people back into the office full-time, it tends to be focused on how can we improve in the future and I think most have accepted that hybrid work seems to be the compromise solution.
While he said working from home could lead to periods of isolation, Dr Hopkins said the hybrid arrangement overcame those concerns, giving workers more flexibility and managers some face-to-face time with their employees too.
It gives them a better work/life balance. It gives them ability to fit non-work activities around their workday and make more of their time, Dr Hopkins said.
Professor Volk said it was important people were still working from the office and connecting with their colleagues face-to-face.
You need people to actually sit together, face to face, bounce off ideas, connect with each other. There's also a lot of loneliness at work when people work remotely and never see their colleagues, he said.
Should days in the office be mandated?
Many employers have implemented mandatory in-office days, and research by recruiting company Robert Half showed the number of workers required to attend the office five days a week had doubled in the last year.
Dr Hopkins said a mandate forces people to spend hours commuting to fulfil an attendance requirement even if they don't need to be in the office.
Dr Hopkins says there can be a financial cost to working-from-office mandates.(ABC News: Kanika Kirpalani)
There's a financial cost, and then they end up in the office on Zoom calls all day — so nobody wants that, Dr Hopkins said.
I would like to see the requirement to come to the office based more around purpose and a real reason, so that rather than just a number that applies to everybody, having a specific purpose.
Professor Volk argued if you did not mandate certain days for people to be required in the office, you would never get everybody into the office at the same time.
Having core days is at least predictable for people in terms of when they can be more flexible with their work and when they are expected to be in the office.
I agree that hybrid work is probably the way to go, but I would also say that mandating certain hours and certain days can also be helpful.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08-09/working-from-home-australia-good-thing/104202068
