Adaptavist’s Reinventing Work Study reveals ‘Cost of Working’ Crisis

SYDNEY — 21 September 2022 — Adaptavist, the leader in digital transformation technology and services, today revealed the findings of its Reinventing Work report (https://www.adaptavist.com/ebooks-white-papers/digital-etiquette) which provides insight into the state of work in our ever-changing, post-pandemic world. The research, gathered from close to 3,500 Australian, US, UK, and Canadian respondents, shows how workers are shaping the new workplace with their views on hybrid vs. in-office work life, productivity, collaboration and isolation, communication tools, health and well-being, and the future of work. 

For the more than 500 Australian employees surveyed, these issues, coupled with cost of living increases including energy and grocery prices, have created a new ‘cost of working’ crisis that affects not only where they work, but how. More than 40% of Australian respondents said their top concern about returning to the office is the additional costs they will incur. This trepidation is understandable as inflation is touching the average Australian in many ways.

Of the more than 40% of respondents that said they suffered anxiety about returning to the office, 34% said that anxiety is due to the commute. Bearing in mind the recent price hikes in fuel, public transport, and road tolls, it’s hardly surprising that people would prefer the flexibility of working from home where they can.  When asked what perks a company could offer to encourage workers back to the office full time, nearly 30% would like reimbursement for commuting costs or free parking, followed by just 28% voting for free food and beverages, which further demonstrates the ways people are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living. 

“The transformation of work over the last few years has been long lasting, but will also continue to evolve,” said John Turley, Head of Organisational Transformation at Adaptavist. “Just as employees have grown accustomed to questioning the level of flexibility and freedom their organisation provides, they’re now understandably considering the costs associated with heading back to the office, working from home or some combination of the two. Whether these costs are mental, emotional or financial, employees and employers will need to find a new equilibrium between business as usual and the way people want to work now—one that supports wellbeing as well as creating value for customers.”

Supplementing with a Side Hustle

The flexibility of working from home has enabled many Australians to supplement their income with side jobs in the face of a potential recession. The Reinventing Work Report revealed that more than half of Australian respondents have taken on an additional job or plan to do so. The majority of those who have (51%) cited an annual increase in income of $6000 - $12,000, with nearly 20% making more than $1000 extra a month. Losing this extra income due to a forced back-to-the-office schedule could create additional financial stress.  

More Aussies Hybrid than the International Average

Most Australians (63%) think employees should have a choice about where they work, but we don’t always get what we want. With many Australians having experienced the world’s longest lockdown, this study reveals that more are currently in the office full time than wish to be (55% vs 43%), less are working hybrid than wish to be (34% vs 47%), and slightly more are remote full time than wish to be (11.2% vs 10.7%). 

That’s right, only 11.2% of Australian workers are working remotely full time compared to just over 40% a year ago. However, we’ve got the highest percentage of hybrid workers compared to the US, UK, and Canada (34% vs an average of 29%), and the highest percentage of companies offering hybrid or remote work options to their staff (50% vs an average of 44%). With high-profile employers such as Apple and Elon Musk reversing their positions and mandating a return to in-office, remaining hybrid may become more difficult—and nearly half of Australian workers (48%) are concerned an employment reset would eliminate all or some of their most important workplace freedoms. 

Reimagining the Future of Employment

Pandemic lockdowns resulting in hybrid and remote work have changed the way Australians work, and many employees are thinking of progressive ways to improve their work futures. Whilst the majority of employees (59%) admit they are now working about the same hours as they were working pre-pandemic, 60% said it's time to eliminate the 40-hour workweek. Australian’s top choice for a flexible work option is a four-day workweek (43%). Amidst reports of Australian companies taking part in a four-day workweek pilot, almost a third of employees (32%) said their employer has already given them that option.

Further interest in redefining work can be seen in how employees feel about the state of productivity measures today. More than half (55%) of workers believe it's time for companies to measure employee productivity based on the quality and output of work rather than the number of hours worked (21%). And 49% also believe they are at peak productivity when mixing home and office work. 

Aussies are Working Asynchronously and They Like It 

Asynchronous work has been touted as a critical component of the future of work, and the Adaptavist Reinventing Work Report offers the first set of Australian data on local adoption. Asynchronous work is part of the job for 67% of Australian respondents (e.g., staff have different hours of work and/or are collaborating and communicating across different time zones) vs an international average of 60%. Of those working asynchronously, 42% said they feel more productive when they do, and nearly half (49%) said that asynchronous communication positively impacts their wellbeing. 

Tools Still Lacking, Especially for Asynchronous Workers

When it comes to communication and productivity tools, asynchronous workers experienced tool fatigue at rates twice as high as non-asynchronous workers. Just over half of employees (53%) said they lose time during the day due to task switching and 44% note their organisation has too many tools that perform the same function. Email (38%) remains the communication method employees use the most at work, followed by in-person talking (14%). Only 14% of workers report using collaboration tools such as Slack as their primary communication method. However, those working asynchronously within larger companies (250+ employees) were much more likely to make use of these tools. These employees said that Microsoft Teams (79%) and Zoom (55%) are essential tools for work collaboration.

Flexibility Will be the Key to Success

“This research helps to confirm that Australian workers feel deeply concerned that new ways of working—a necessity of our longest-in-the-world lockdowns—will be lost as employers strive to recover a world of work that their employees believe gone forever,” said futurist, Mark Pesce.  “Are bosses listening? Is either side prepared for the continuous negotiations of hybrid work​ and the extra face-to-face time remote workers need to stay on track​? Is management prepared to help those feeling voiceless and challenged by the many tools they have to use for work, or to help extroverts thrive in newly depopulated offices? 

Pesce adds “Workers will come into the office, so long as there’s a good reason: brainstorming, teambuilding, and, most importantly, to acquire new skills—another aspect highlighted by this research. Fortune favours the flexible. Organisations and their employees both need to bend and adapt in order to succeed.”

For more information on the Adaptavist 2022 Reinventing Work Report, including downloadable highlights, please visit: https://www.adaptavist.com/ebooks-white-papers/digital-etiquette.

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About Adaptavist

Adaptavist is a global technology and innovative solutions provider, helping organisations boost agility and overcome the challenges of digital transformation. Founded in 2005, its team spans over 600 employees globally, with a 18,000+ customer base representing more than half of the Fortune 500. 

Adaptavist supports customers with applications, consultancy, agile implementation, app integration, training, managed services, and licensing solutions – through strong partnerships with Atlassian (a Platinum Atlassian Solutions Partner and a Platinum Marketplace Partner) as well as partnerships with Slack, Monday.com, AWS, GitLab, Aha!, Temporall and more. The company has been awarded the Queen's Awards for Enterprise and Deloitte's Technology Fast 50.