The end of WFH: Date Australians will be forced back to office

Aussies’ days of working from home are numbered, at least if we’re to believe the opinions of their bosses.

Aussies’ days of working from home are numbered, at least if we’re to believe the opinions of their bosses.

A global survey of 1325 CEOs, including 50 from Australia, found that two-thirds of Australia’s bosses believed traditional white collar roles will see a full-time return to the office within three years.

The KPMG CEO Outlook was conducted between 15 August and 15 September this year, which indicates workers have until that period in 2026 to bid farewell to hybrid working.

The end of WFH is nigh. Picture iStock.

Aussie bosses’ opinions on the subject were similar to those of their global counterparts — two-thirds of global CEOs also said hybrid working will end within three years — but, interestingly, they were less inclined to reward their workers for it.

Three-quarters (75 per cent) of Australian CEOs said they will reward employees who make an extra effort to come into the office with raises, promotions and more interesting work, compared to 89 per cent of global CEOs.

Two-thirds of Aussie bosses predict a full-time return to the office within three years. Picture: John Grainger

Even Andrew Yates, boss of KPMG Australia, said he was surprised by the results.

“I think there’s a feeling that over time, things like productivity will suffer and that we’re returning to a more normal environment,” he told Nine newspapers.

“But I was surprised that there was such clarity around the return to the office. I would have thought … that hybrid and flexible working would be here to stay.”

Australian CEOs were slightly more optimistic about the economy than their overseas counterparts, with 26 per cent predicting growth of more than five per cent in the next three years, while eight per cent foresaw growth of between 10 and 20 per cent.

But a higher proportion of Australians also predicted possible job losses — 22 per cent of Australian leaders saw staff cuts of up to five per cent over the next three years, compared with only eight per cent who held that view globally.

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Originally published as The end of WFH: Date Australians will be forced back to office