Australian workers are trudging back to the office, begrudgingly accepting the benefits of in-person attendance, as more workplaces demand it.
Almost 40 per cent of workers in a survey said their attendance in the office five days a week was now mandated.
One in five were unsatisfied with the number of days in the office their work demanded from them.
But more than half acknowledged the positive impacts of better collaboration and teamwork when attending the office.
The cost of boarding a crowded peak hour train or burning fuel in gridlocked traffic on the way to a paid car park also dragged on workers, with 48 per cent citing increased costs as having a negative impact.
The survey developed by recruitment firm Robert Half asked 1000 office workers and 300 hiring managers about workplace trends and talent management across Australia as part of an international workplace survey during the previous financial year.
Employers are taking advantage of a job market where workers have less leverage to mandate office attendance, Robert Half director Andrew Brushfield said.
“The pendulum is swinging back to pre-pandemic levels where working-from-home was an anomaly rather than an expectation,” he said.
Flexibility has become attractive for employees and not everyone is pleased with being called back into the office for mandated office days.
“While they foster collaboration and connection, they can also lead to resentment and disengagement if not implemented and justified thoughtfully,” Mr Brushfield said.
Employers need to create a positive environment to help staff come to terms with attending the office more frequently, he said.
Atlassian, the Australian software giant developing some of the tools relied on for remote work, has several offices around the world, including one under construction inching towards the sky above Sydney’s central railway station.
But the company’s work futurist Dom Price told AAP each workplace needed to consider their needs and aims, and whether demanding attendance would help achieve them.
“The danger right now is the industry is always looking for a singular answer, when the reality is you need to cater to the different needs of different people,” he said.
Atlassian does not mandate in-office days and the people who attend reflect the majority of those surveyed in chasing closer collaboration and socialisation, Mr Price said.
Managers who demand attendance may be stuck in old habits and could benefit by instead setting clear expectations, with guardrails giving people flexibility.
“The best way to do this is to explore and experiment ... find your own way of doing it that works for your organisation,” Mr Price said.
