More Aussies working from home with NSW leading the way

More than 80 per cent of Aussies would like to work remotely and 40 per cent are already doing it at least once a week, a new report has revealed. And the trend is most pronounced in NSW, where people work from home more regularly than any other state.

• Rise of the Aussie celebrity nutritionists
• Hollywood’s history of scandal and intrigue

Dressed in a crisp white shirt and tailored trousers, fashion designer Jen McCloy is ready for the office. But unlike some others, what counts as the office for this Bondi local depends on her mood each day.

“There are a lot of great cafes that I’ll go to — you have to drink a lot of green tea to be able to stick around there for a couple of hours,” she tells BW Magazine.

“I’m someone who likes working in noise so cafe culture works for me.”

McCloy’s move to swap the office desk for a beach view is mirrored by a legion of Australians.

More than 80 per cent of Aussies would like to work remotely and 40 per cent are already doing it at least once a week, the new Evolution of Work report shows.

The report by Airbnb and Tank Stream Labs found the trend is most pronounced in NSW, where people work from home more regularly than any other state.

Fashion Designer Jen McCloy often works from a cafe instead of going into an office. Picture: Danny Aarons

And the time they are saving on their daily commute is being spent on things they enjoy — such as exercise.

For McCloy, who is in the process of launching a second business, working remotely is a double-edged sword.

MORE FROM ANGIRA BHARADWAJ:

HOW AUSSIE BEAUTY QUEEN BEAT THE ONLINE HATERS

BRENNA’S STAR IS ON THE RISE SINCE PUBERTY BLUES

While she loves the flexibility, she says it’s important to stay focused.

“The flexibility is great for sure (because) I can have a dentist appointment whenever I want … but you end up working 24 hours instead of eight,” she says.

“I’ve been doing it for 10 years now … it can be really difficult because (you are) living in Bondi and you see people coming up the road with sandy feet, you think ‘Oh I would love to pop down to the beach’.”

But employment and industry expert Professor Kerry Brown says the temptation of a dip in the ocean doesn’t necessarily mean a less productive workforce.

She finds, with the changing nature of work, offices may be on their way to being redundant.

“The office just isn’t where the action is any more and it doesn’t matter where you do it,” she says.

“As companies downsized, people started working remotely from their cars and cafes and they actually started liking it.”

This could be your view from your “office” if you work remotely. Picture: iStock

And Brown says the perception that this trend is limited to creative fields is false.

She says technology has unhooked even bankers and government workers from their office desks.

“The nature of work used to be that managers wanted to see people sitting at desks,” she says.

“It was an OK approach to watch people but now we are allowing people to deliver on results,” she says.

Brown recognises that bidding goodbye to this traditional culture can leave doubts about productivity and laziness in the workforce — but finds this isn’t the case, especially with the rise of shared work spaces.

“People may become self-employed but they still want to meet up and connect.

“They don’t want to be working in their pyjamas and they want to keep their motivation up.”

In fact, Brown argues the changing nature of how we work has put the power back into the people’s hands.

“Because of the costs of housing, a lot of people are living far away,” she says.

“People used to be OK with having a long commute but they aren’t willing to do that any more.

“It used to be a one-way street where employers casualised their workforce but now it’s more a two-way street … as we have a more contingent workforce, employees are taking advantage and taking some of that freedom back and employers have to accept that.”

Office work is not for everyone.

The data supports Brown’s findings. Almost 70 per cent of workers in NSW said flexible work arrangements make an employer more appealing to them.

A further 53 per cent said employee benefits also add to how attractive a job is.

Social demographer Mark McCrindle agrees that professionals are willing to take up to a 5 per cent pay cut or change jobs to achieve flexibility around when and where they work.

“We are juggling more roles today with the lines between education and work and family more blurred … people are looking to get more control in choosing where they work, and to an extent, when they work,” he says.

“It saves money and we found people do it because they can reduce the commute costs and travel time and get a sense that they are a little bit more empowered.”

McCrindle says his research showed productivity in writing, thinking and creative tasks can actually increase if workers are able to control their professional environments. But he warns life isn’t always rosy when you are working away from an office.

“People can feel a little bit isolated because they don’t get stimulation from teammates and that’s where co-working spaces and cafes can create more of a buzz,” he says.

In McCrindle’s experience, the trend of ditching the office, like many other millennial trends, is social media based.

“Social media plays into that because people share their workplace on Instagram or other social media. It does become something that gets communicated,” he says.

“The workplace aesthetic does matter these days.

“Work is no longer just a place where you churn out tasks; it’s a place where you want to be inspired by the aesthetic and the social aspect.”