A plethora of new surveys confirm the long-term future of the hybrid workforce.

 

Working-from-home at least part of the time has become the new normal, instigated by the pandemic and now a significant part of life for many office workers, particularly in Melbourne, Sydney and to a lesser extent in Brisbane.

 

What started as a temporary necessity has become permanently normal: Employers save money on rent and utilities; employees enjoy not having to commute so often and being around the house for children as well as deliveries and tradesmen.

 

People are moving to cheaper houses and better lifestyles in the country because one or two long commutes a week are bearable.

 

Companies are regularly using Zoom and Teams meetings, although there is a desire among some employees to engage with company colleagues in the workplace.

 

Since the start of the pandemic, surveys of office workers have been consistent: On average, most people want to work two or three days per week in the office. 

 

The Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work estimates that 30 per cent of the Australian workforce could feasibly work-from-home and most workers see WFH options as a given when seeking employment.

 

And data from the Purpose Bureau shows that 27 per cent of work-from-home jobs are fixed, and not optional.

 

A survey by the ACTU found that people working from home did not slack off and in fact their hours tended to expand: Unpaid overtime was 6.4 hours a week higher for home workers, on average.

 

However, a US survey by Digital.com found many business owners felt WFH productivity levels had fallen during the pandemic.

 

Around 35 per cent of jobs do have aspects that allow them to be done at home, according to a report by the federal Productivity Commission. The kinds of jobs tend to be better-paid and more likely to be full-time.

 

Meantime, You.Gov surveys carried out in the UK found more men than women in never want to work-from-home once the pandemic ends, while only one in ten women working-from-home plan to return to the office. 

 

It was feared, according to the survey, that if women continue to stay at home it would mean they are 'not around when some of the conversations are being had'.