81 percent of Australian workers say no to ‘normal’, says new report

Melbourne, 1 September, 2020 – More than eight in ten Australian workers are against a return to ‘normal’ working life, according to a new study released today by Skillsoft, a leading global provider of digital learning, training, and talent solutions to help organisations unleash their edge.

Based on a survey of 681 workers or people looking for work across Australia, Skillsoft’s report examined employee expectations in a post-COVID workplace and found that 81 percent want at least one COVID-19 practice adopted permanently in their day-to-day lives. Fewer than one in five (19 percent) are happy to return to how things were, with this figure even lower (7 percent) among workers aged 25-34.

Key findings:

·         Among the top practices that Australian workers want to see introduced permanently, half would like more flexibility in their working hours (55 percent) and more time spent on their physical and mental well-being (49 percent)/

·         Almost half want to continue working from home (48 percent).

·         Approximately one in three (31 percent) hope for more online learning and professional development opportunities.

Job security and personal well-being in focus

The study further showed that Australia’s workforce appears more concerned about their own well-being than the success of their employer at this time, with 61 percent of workers ranking job security in their top three issues that they feel business leaders should be prioritising.

Meanwhile, more than half rank work/life balance and health and safety (58 percent and 55 percent respectively) in their top three issues. Only one in ten (11 percent) rank innovation among their top three issues to be prioritised by business leaders.

Rosie Cairnes, Vice President, Skillsoft APAC, stated, “It’s very interesting to see the emergence of a more inward mindset among workers in Australia, whether it is deciding when and how to work, improving diversity, prioritising family time over work, concern for personal health, or taking charge of their own professional development.

“The COVID period has created a trend that extends beyond flexible workplaces, toward genuine self-care. For companies to reach the other side of this pandemic in a good place, employee well-being and wellness must become a permanent focus, not just something that gets addressed during crisis.”

Greater gender balance and support for older workers

The report also showed the top two issues the Australian workforce wants their employers to support the most are hiring and supporting more older workers (40 percent) and offering flexible work for parents of both genders (36 percent). Interestingly, more men than women (23 percent vs 16 percent) want employers to support equal maternity and paternity leave.

Other important issues for Australia’s workforce are providing accessible options for people with disabilities (25 percent) and ensuring equal gender representation on the leadership team (24 percent).

“Globally the pandemic has brought many of society’s inequities to the fore, and in some cases given people of a taste of how things can work better, particularly in terms of caring responsibilities,” Ms Cairnes said.

“In Australia there is a strong push for policies and practices that promote greater gender, age, and racial balance in the workplace. Organisations that rethink their hiring and policies and focus their future learning and development in these areas stand to benefit hugely in terms of available talent, employee engagement, and retention.”

Ends

About Skillsoft

Skillsoft delivers online learning, training, and talent solutions to help organizations unleash their edge. Leveraging immersive, engaging content, Skillsoft enables organizations to unlock the potential in their best assets – their people – and build teams with the skills they need for success. Empowering 36 million learners and counting, Skillsoft democratizes learning through an intelligent learning experience and a customized, learner-centric approach to skills development with resources for Leadership Development, Business Skills, Technology & Development, Digital Transformation, and Compliance.

Skillsoft and SumTotal are partners to thousands of leading global organizations, including many Fortune 500 companies. The company features three award-winning systems that support learning, performance and success: Skillsoft learning content, the Percipio intelligent learning experience platform, and the SumTotal suite for Talent Development, which offers measurable impact across the entire employee life-cycle. Learn more at www.skillsoft.com.

About the research

This study was conducted online by YouGov between 30 July – 3 August 2020. The sample comprised a nationally representative sample of 681 Australians, 758 Malaysians and 886 Singaporeans aged 18 years and older who are currently working or looking for work.

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