Whether your boss likes it or not, why the office has to be everywhere

The Australian corporate landscape has had a rough ride over the past 24 months.

From talent shortages to mass layoffs and layoffs, it’s never been easy to plan with certainty how workers or organizations will perform, especially when the macro outlook is uncertain.

Senior management, IT teams, HR departments have all played their part in fostering corporate culture and supporting flexibility with varying degrees of success.

Today, most companies are in a seemingly constant state of adjustment to balance workplace policy, corporate branding, and business performance. But where does this leave employee feedback on workplace policies? And do these policies empower employees to be more effective at their jobs?

Flexible working, remote working, hybrid working, working from home, working from anywhere, office work – they can all mean different things to different people.

Many companies have tried to be leaders in providing the best work arrangements, their success often depends on various factors that can be overlooked or overlooked; Team trust, corporate culture, management style, industry trends and the right technology tools to get the job done.

It’s a minefield to scale and a tough place for companies to compete – especially to attract and retain talent.

Doing a “good” job

What will work from anywhere look like from an employee perspective in 2023?

As more work policies are being revised, reduced or rewritten – especially in recent months – there are mixed feelings among workers. So it’s more critical than ever that employers have policies in place to protect the talent they’re trying to attract and invest in.

To cut to the chase, measuring employee freedom, flexibility, productivity and performance won’t be perfect, but with a few key insights gained from listening to what people want, companies can get a lot closer.

It remains from anywhere

‘Work from anywhere’ is here to stay. Employers need to get used to this fact.

As a local company that empowers technology to help people achieve more where they work, we wanted to find out more, so we went straight to the source. We spoke to more than 1,000 corporate sector workers and asked them their views on working from anywhere and what it will mean in 2023.

In partnership with Aussie Corporate, one of Australia’s top online employee communities, we’ve put together a relatively straightforward series of questions to read about corporate employee sentiment.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the truths that employers need to be prepared for.

• It is important to have a policy that is clear and based on your given target market.
• 90% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that working from anywhere is important when choosing their next job.

so what? This is a huge number that cannot be ignored. People want a sense of freedom and control, and they can only achieve these by feeling that they have options and flexibility. People tell us they want trust and will reject jobs that don’t provide that. If employees are able to work from different locations, if it is productive and promotes performance, while maintaining the corporate culture, there will be less sense to keep people at the office desk full time.

• Office desk space home is only part of the story:
• Over 60% of Australian corporations work ‘often’ or ‘occasionally’ from third parties. When we’re working away from an office or home office desk, we’re more likely to be at cafes, at friends and family’s houses, or in bed.
• Only 13 percent said they never work anywhere other than at a desk in their home or office.
• 40% of respondents felt their employer did not provide the best tools to get things done when working from anywhere.

so what? Whether it’s hiring digital nomads on contract, staff preparing presentations from the local cafe, or someone working from their living room and taking care of a healthy child, our ability to work in different places defines the work style of this generation.

Policies aside, pretty much everyone is working between a dedicated home or office workspace. Therefore, without proper setup, there is a high risk of productivity loss due to not giving people the right tools to do the job well.

• If people could choose, would they work from your office? Maybe not every day, but that shouldn’t scare employers.

so what? Of course, Australians have their pick of top jobs in any number of locations or destinations, from Bali, Italy, Japan and regional Australia to mountain huts and beach houses. But behind the dream locations is a strong sense of ‘home is home’ and apart from a few weeks off during the year, most people are happy to come home from work wherever they are.

Working from anywhere is not just about escaping to Bali. It can be in the living room at home, in a short workplace or abroad with the family. In addition, with many international workers in Australia, there was strong sentiment about policies that would help people connect with family abroad for a limited time throughout the year.

• Productivity is something that employers can do with the right tools and giving employees choice.

so what? Tech is key to productivity. More screen real estate with an extra monitor, a better PC or Mac, or a faster Internet connection are all top three technology improvements that can increase productivity.

Scott McKeon with an espresso display

Productivity is one of the hardest aspects of business to measure – whether it’s meeting KPIs, employee ratings, or feedback from managers, it’s safe to say that people are likely to be productive when they feel productive.

There is also an explosion of productivity apps, studies, insights and knowledge sharing. From our experience, technology can boost productivity and set you up for success, but we can’t forget the basics of proper ergonomics, decluttering the desktop and giving people mental space to focus on. These fundamentals remain a key element in how people make more choices about where and how they work. In the year Looking to 2024 and beyond, we see the productivity war as a key battleground for jobs.

Investing in performance

Invest in people and they will do.

From survey feedback and direct conversations with our customers at Espresso, the overwhelming feeling among corporate employees is that when businesses invest, really invest, in their people – the right policies, the right tools and the right support – they do.

But this investment must happen in response to employees and their lifestyles, and in conjunction with a fundamentally healthy workplace.

As said; “What’s the point of investing in workers if you can’t get them to do paid work?”

• Scott McKeon is the founder at Espresso Demonstrations.