The pandemic pushed many businesses to adopt work-from-home formulas that would enable them to keep operations running while employees got to reduce their risk of exposure to the virus. As the pandemic winds down, businesses are seeking to have their employees return to full-time office attendance, though enthusiasm for this appears to be waning.
According to a survey conducted by software firm Adaptavist, four out of 10 office workers prefer to work from home due to the high cost of commuting. Other reasons for wanting to keep working from home include rising food prices and the ability to keep doing a side job. Some respondents confirmed that by returning to their regular jobs full time they stood to lose over $1,000 in income each month.
The survey also found that 43.6% of respondents could be persuaded to return to full-time office work if they were offered flexible working hours. 30% indicated that being reimbursed for commuting costs or offered free parking could be a worthwhile perk, while 28% indicated a preference for free food and drink. Experts note that with workers increasingly desirous of hybrid work arrangements, employers may need to adapt for success.
Another study by the National Bureau of Economic Research found that employees already working for at least one day per week from home would consider resigning and looking for another job if their employer required them to return to full-time office work, five days a week. The survey also found that this preference for work from home was most dominant amongst women, the more educated and those that were married with children below the age of 14.
While workers are supportive of continuing work-from-home arrangements, others like the Western Australia premier, Mark McGowan, have expressed opposition. McGowan is recommending people return to the workplace as the risk of Covid-19 infections declines. He emphasised that going out to work created collegiality as people came together to achieve outcomes in a way that working from home could not. He also noted that certain types of businesses like restaurants, cafes and retail were best supported by the community when people were going out to work, especially in the CBD.
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