Work from home looks here to stay in Australia, New Zealand – but it’s not for everyone

Some employers love it. Others have issued ‘return-to-work’ mandates in a bid to force employees back into the office – sparking a labour revolt

But experts say flexible working also has its downsides, from overwork and job burnout, to increased disengagement and workers becoming ‘entitled’

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Peak-hour commuters walk across a glass walled bridge between office buildings in Sydney. Flexible working practices are having a moment post-pandemic, not only in the Asia-Pacific but around the world. Photo: Reuters

Published: 8:00am, 13 May 2024

In the four years that global IT consultancy Waterstons has allowed its 20 Sydney-based staff to work whenever and wherever they want, only one employee’s performance has suffered.

The UK-based business, which has around 300 employees worldwide, first adopted “flexi-working” practices some 30 years ago – and also allows its employees to take as much annual leave as they need.

“If you treat your people like adults, that’s how they will behave,” Waterstons’ Asia-Pacific Managing Director Charlie Hales said, adding that the company measures employees’ output, not input.

This positive employer-employee dynamic not only makes the company more attractive to new recruits, it also inspires them to go “the extra mile”, she said.

The only downside to flexi-working? Some employees who have only ever had nine-to-five jobs can struggle to adapt to autonomous working, Hales said, but Waterstons now screens for this during the interview process.

Employers say some workers who have only ever had office-based nine-to-five jobs can struggle to adapt to autonomous working. Photo: Shutterstock

Flexible working practices are having a moment post-pandemic, not only in the Asia-Pacific but around the world – underscoring a shift in attitudes towards work and its impact on modern life.