2 minute read
WORKING REMOTELY
The “rush to remote” in March 2020 saw tens of thousands of employees sent away from Macquarie Park. The local impact – from office occupancy rates to bus patronage and even the volume of coffees ordered at cafes – was significant.
In the year since, we’ve all learnt how to work remotely. And while some employers have since mandated a return to the office, others are looking at a very different future.
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Employee intentions have also changed: last year the majority wished to work from home 2 or 3 days a week, and that’s still the case today.
However, the number of employees who would like to work remotely a full 4 or 5 days a week has increased.
Last year we discovered Macquarie Park’s younger employees wanted to work from home less than their older colleagues.
In 2020, employees under 25 years old said they would prefer to work remotely only 1 or 2 days a week, whereas all other ages wanted to go remote for 2 or 3 days.
One year on it is still the case that younger employees are more likely to live with their parents, or in smaller or shared homes without a dedicated working space. They value the social aspects of the workplace more. WORK FROM HOME FREQUENCY
2021 reveals a trend in the extremities. The number of younger people who would not like to work remotely at all has increased significantly: up 13 percentage points among those aged 18-24.
Meanwhile, the percent who would like to work remotely all of the time has also increased, most significantly among people aged 18-24 (+13 points), and 55 years and over (+9 points).
PREFERRED WORK FROM HOME FREQUENCY BY AGE
Employees told us that, in practice, only a small percent were unable to work remotely at all due to the physical constraints of their role.
A significant amount have been told they should come to the office for a few days a week, while 39% have been allowed to choose to work from home if they want.
PRODUCTIVITY
56% say they are more productive when working remotely. 15% say they are less productive when working remotely.
(2020 FlexReport1) RETURN TO WORKPLACE POLICY
