Australians enjoy surprising work from home perks
While the coronavirus pandemic has caused chaos for many workplaces, being free of the office has benefited both workers and their bosses in some surprising ways.
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Working Aussies have enjoyed flexible schedules, more time with family and less time wasted on commuting during lockdown.
There’s no doubt the COVID-19 outbreak caused chaos for many workplaces but there have also been positive changes to the way we work.
A global survey by design and workplace strategy firm Unispace found more than two thirds (68 per cent) of company managers believed staff would have the option to work from home at least two to three days a week when workplaces reopened.
Rise Consulting founder and workplace happiness expert Ross Reekie said the attitude towards flexible work had changed and was removing barriers for female participation in the workforce.
“There is no going backwards from this,” he said. “I see it being much easier for women with families and men with families.”
Fire and Rescue NSW firefighter Evan Lister, 25, said he was able to dedicate extra time to online learning.
“Because we weren’t visiting schools and things (due to social distancing) there has been a focus on professional development,” he said.
“It’s been a great time to sit down and smash out some e-learning.”
Mr Reekie said a common theme in the research was that people had also gained soft skills, such as resilience.
“We heard over and over again ‘I am more resilient than I gave myself credit for’,” he said.
“That’s a skill in itself, being able to deal with change.
“People also said they learned how to be more vulnerable … it’s become OK to say you are not OK because everyone has had at least one bad day during lockdown.”
Jeff Downs, founder of Redback Connect, said there was also a declining need for people to travel for work as businesses realised how much they could achieve through remote meetings.
“Whether they live regionally, interstate, or internationally, many can now meet online almost as effectively as they could face-to-face,” he said.
Anthony Mitchell, chief potential officer of business consultancy Bendelta, said the normalisation of video calls had also been beneficial for cultural diversity and inclusion.
“One client told me their Muslim employees said this year is the most comfortable they’ve ever felt about mentioning their Ramadan commitments,” he said.
“Another said the same about their Jewish employees and Passover.
“This is because we have been seeing more of people’s personal lives – their kids, pets, home and hobbies – and though this has happened incidentally, it has helped us see the whole person in each of our colleagues.”
Attitudes had also changed toward physical wellbeing.
Almost half (43 per cent) of Australians surveyed by Dynata said they would be more likely to take sick leave if they felt unwell in the future.
Mr Reekie said battling through sickness was no longer seen as a badge of honour.
“(Now we are more likely to think) ‘if you have a cold or flu, I don’t want to be anywhere near you’ so you become a pariah rather than a hero,” he said.