Productivity continues to thrive when employees work from home

A recent report highlighted employers’ experiences with remote and flexible work, displaying the positive impacts on productivity.

HOBAN Recruitment recently surveyed over 500 employers from around Australia, with the report primarily focusing on current workplace trends. One of the key findings from the report was the reiteration of the idea that employees who work from home are just as, if not more, productive than when they work out of the office.

The discourse around remote and flexible work has a number of established talking points, one being that productivity takes a dive when people work from home. This is common hyperbole used to disregard flexible working conditions and instead persuade and encourage employees to return to the office.

However, four out of five employers who responded to the survey stated that their remote personnel are either more productive or as productive as when they are working out of the workplace.

The number of employers who have seen an increase in productivity has steadily increased year after year to 35 per cent.

If productivity is the same or better, and employees prefer remote or hybrid work, then it is imperative that organisations continue to adopt these practices. It is clear some businesses are really on board with this and understand how important it is in retaining employees.

The report states that flexible working conditions remain a prominent retention strategy for businesses, with 22 per cent of organisations offering this benefit. This trend underscores the increasing recognition of the importance of work/life balance and adaptability in the modern workplace.

This continued embrace of the work/life balance from employers seems to be the way forward to ensure positive business outcomes. The report highlights a significant increase in the percentage of personnel working remotely, with 26 per cent of respondents reporting having more than a quarter of their workforce working from home.

Overall, 84 per cent of organisations employ hybrid workers, emphasising the continuing popularity of hybridisation, driven to balance the need for flexibility and collaboration.

When productivity thrives, employers will adapt, and the report shows that businesses are on board with hybridisation and providing that work/life balance for their employees to ensure that retention continues.

Other key findings from the report highlight some other trends throughout Australian workplaces:

• Organisations reporting redundancies in the previous 12 months increased, up to 31 per cent from 19 per cent the previous year. Following broader market trends, most respondents reporting redundant roles were from white-collar industries.
• Employers have a more optimistic view of the future, with double the year-on-year percentage of respondents (8 per cent in 2023 to 16 per cent in 2024) forecasting no staff turnover in the next 12 months.
• Despite the reports of a further downturn, the survey indicates a significant increase in the number of respondents (from 42 per cent to 53 per cent) anticipating sales growth over the next 12 months, signalling more confidence.
• Pay rates – as cost-of-living burdens continue, employers are more likely to change roles for increased remuneration, whereas, in previous years, the top reason was for a career change.