A growing number of chief executives believe the Covid-era work-from-home phenomenon is likely to be over within the next three years, reports The Australian (paywall), citing a survey of chief executives by KPMG. More than four in five, or 82%, of respondents expect traditional white-collar roles to fully return to the office within the next three years. This is an increase on the 66% who were of that opinion when surveyed last year and comes as businesses increasingly wind back work-from-home rights. It comes as Australian businesses are rolling out promotions and pay rises in a bid to get workers back into the office.

Less than a third, or 27%, of respondents expect hybrid office/home roles to continue, and not one expects jobs to be fully remote. Australian leaders’ opinions are in line with their global peers, of whom 83% predict a full return to office-based work for white-collar employees within three years, the survey revealed.

KPMG Australia chief executive Andrew Yates told The Australian he did not believe work from home would end, but it would probably evolve into flexible working arrangements, as seen at the professional services firm. Yates said that although there wasn’t evidence that work from home had caused productivity to slump, many business leaders were questioning why productivity had slowed and what could be done to reverse it.

Of those who responded in the survey, 78% of Australian CEOs surveyed said they were likely to reward employees who made the effort to come into the office with incentives such as raises, promotions or better projects.