More than half, or 61%, of Australians say a hybrid working model, consisting of part-remote and part-office working, is the most productive, according to a poll of over 2,500 working professionals by Hays. The poll also found that 21% of professionals surveyed by Hays believe the central office model is the most conducive to their productivity, while 18% nominated exclusively remote working. 

“Social distancing measures have certainly proven that a large percentage of the workforce can work productively and successfully from home,” Nick Deligiannis, Managing Director of Hays in Australia & New Zealand, said. “For many employees, overall performance, job satisfaction and work-life balance even increased as less time was spent commuting or dealing with the distractions of office working.”

“But at the same time, there are a number of employers who want to bring staff back into the one central office for the cultural and collaboration benefits that face-to-face working offers,” Deligiannis said. “Given this, a longer-term shift towards a hybrid working model could be the ideal middle ground that allows employees to work flexibly on certain days of the week, then come together with colleagues in a central workplace on others.”

“This would allow people to balance office life and remote working in a mix that works best for them and their employer, while offering the organisation the staff attraction and retention benefits that come from a flexible and digital employment model,” Deligiannis said.

Deligiannis added, “Already as employers begin to encourage staff back to the office, they are reimagining their flexible working policies to accommodate a hybrid working model longer-term. Such employers are intentionally looking to the future and how they and their staff can benefit most effectively from this new way of working.”