The news that fewer than a third of Melbourne’s office workers returned to their desks in January would hardly be surprising to anyone who has ventured into the city. The CBD is still a long way from the bustling hub it once was.
Recent COVID-19 outbreaks in hotel quarantine – forcing the return of mask wearing inside offices – is hardly going to entice more people to reacquaint themselves with their physical workplace in the near future. But that is unlikely to be the only reason.
While some are keen to return to the office, it is difficult for others. Credit:Joe Armao
The Property Council of Australia, which carried out the survey, found that 35 per cent of respondents put a new-found preference for greater flexibility, afforded by working from home. That was the motivating factor behind their reluctance to return to the office. A much smaller percentage cited concerns about the safety of workplaces.
Such sentiment would indicate that getting people back to the office is going to take much more effort from companies than they may have thought. While current restrictions in Victoria limit private offices to 50 per cent of workers at any one time – it was meant to increase to 75 per cent until the recent outbreaks put a stop to that – it would appear that is not the greatest barrier to returning to work. There are many factors at play.
As Melbourne has spread out, those living in the outer suburbs, or in regional towns, would no doubt be more inclined to appreciate relief from their long commutes. And for those who were previously struggling to juggle the work/life balance, the ability to more seamlessly combine the two must be a persuasive argument for staying at home to work.
But working from home is not for everyone.
Even before the pandemic, there was a growing number of people feeling lonely and isolated. A survey in 2018 found that one in four people lived in a state of loneliness, and 30 per cent did not feel like they were part of a group of friends. With many people having to isolate at home for long periods of time last year, that would only have been exacerbated. For many in this situation, a return to work could be a welcome return to some form of socialising.
For those who are new to a workplace or just starting out in their career, long stints working from home are not ideal. Without established professional networks built up during years spent in an office, or time spent in the workplace getting to know colleagues through face-to-face contact, their chance of career progression and professional development could be limited.
Such a diversity of circumstances means workers will require more than ever employers to be flexible and attuned to the individual needs of their workforce. There is no one-size-fits-all in this situation.
That should not stop the state government and business leaders encouraging as many people to return to the city as possible. As chief executive of the Business Council of Australia, Jennifer Westacott, stated recently: “CBDs are more than a collection of office towers; they’re cultural, entertainment and retailing centres. Empty CBDs are economic dead zones … it psychologically drags on our return to some semblance of normalcy.”
It all points to the growing realisation that “normal” life after the pandemic has passed may look a whole lot different to what we once thought the future may bring. If enough time is spent taking into account individual circumstances, then that may not be such a bad thing.
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