60% of employers want staff back in office

Chief executives are increasingly encouraging their staff to return to the office, with some states pushing harder than others.

Research conducted by specialised recruiter Robert Half has shed light on how much employers want their staff to return to the office this year in comparison to last.

According to the findings, which represent Australian business leaders across NSW, Queensland, Western Australia and Victoria, almost one in six employers (59 per cent) require their staff to increase the number of days they work in the office in 2023, compared with 2022.

Meanwhile, 32 per cent of employers said they’re happy with the time their employees currently spend in the office and do not have immediate plans to require them to be present more frequently, and 9 per cent are unsure as to how their return-to-office policy will evolve in 2023.

Breaking down the states, NSW employers are more likely to implement a return-to-office policy, with 63 per cent noting this is a priority this year. This was followed by Queensland and Victorian employers (both 60 per cent) and West Australian employers (55 per cent).

Pros and cons

Despite some employers being adamant about getting staff to return to the office, those surveyed couldn’t deny the benefits that working-from-home (WFH) conditions have brought to their business.

A big concern employers have about implementing a return-to-office policy falls back to being about recruiting and retaining employees who have gotten used to flexible working arrangements during the pandemic.

That being said, 70 per cent of employers surveyed believe having workers increase the number of days they are in the office will boost corporate culture, while 68 per cent said their employees’ skills development and career progression opportunities would improve.

Increased productivity levels were also seen as a big win for 66 per cent of employers, as well as increased employee wellbeing (elected by 61 per cent of employers) and employee motivation (elected by 60 per cent of employers).

“The pandemic forced employers’ hand in allowing remote work options for their employees. Now that restrictions have been fully lifted, and the workforce is bouncing back and re-establishing their ‘normality’, employers are rethinking how often employees should be working from home and how many in-office days should be required,” said Nicole Gorton, director at Robert Half.

“If companies do decide to make their employees return to the office more often than they did in 2022, they need to make going into the office worthwhile. This can be done by utilising community days, which see teams go in at the same time to allow collaboration and socialising. Other strategies like offering team lunches or workshops are more targeted reasons as to why people would want to attend the office.

“As organisations continue to learn and evaluate how working from the office and working from home can affect attraction and retention, it has become apparent that a more efficient balance must be achieved. Flexibility will continue to be highly valued by employees, but different and sometimes more tailored approaches to the hybrid model could be a solid strategy for protecting workplaces from the drawbacks of remote working while still allowing employees to reap the many benefits of greater workplace flexibility. If companies fail to have such a balance, employers run the risk of losing staff and struggling to secure new candidates at a time when a tight labour market continues.”