Five-day office mandate rules out most NZ tech workers

Potentia has found that a five-day office mandate would rule out 76% of New Zealand tech workers from considering a role. Willingness to consider office-based jobs drops sharply once attendance rises above three days a week.

The recruitment firm surveyed 989 technology professionals in New Zealand on acceptable office attendance, pay expectations, commute limits and job decisions. The results point to a sharp break between three and four required office days, rather than a steady decline in candidate interest.

The survey found 33% of tech workers would rule out a role requiring three days in the office, rising to 76% for a five-day requirement. Moving from three days to four halves the share of people willing to consider a role.

The report also suggests office policies are already affecting hiring. It found 42% of respondents had walked away from roles because of office attendance rules, even as unemployment sits at an 11-year high.

Pay trade-off

Salary appears to have only limited influence on office attendance preferences. Respondents said they would want about 20% more pay to work in the office five days a week, while a third said no pay rise would persuade them.

Resistance was stronger among senior staff and contractors. Among those unwilling to take a five-day office role, 58% of senior staff and 52% of contractors said no level of extra pay would change their mind.

Potentia also estimated the cost of using salary increases to offset stricter office mandates. For a team of 10 employees earning NZD $100,000, matching the same share of candidates attracted by a three-day policy would cost about NZD $200,000 a year.

Regional split

The survey found notable differences across occupations and regions. Software developers were among the least willing to accept more time in the office, with 51% saying they would turn down a role requiring three office days a week.

Auckland workers were less willing than those in other main centres to accept office-based arrangements. The survey found 39% of Auckland respondents would reject a three-day office role, compared with 28% in Wellington and 26% in Canterbury.

Commute length and cost were also major factors. Two in three respondents said they would not travel more than 40 minutes each way to an office, while rising fuel and public transport costs added to the pressure.

Sam Nowell, Director, Potentia, said the findings showed employers lose candidates quickly once office requirements move beyond three days. "It's not a gradual slide, it's a cliff. Go from three days to four and you've lost half the people who would have considered your role. In a market where unemployment is at an 11-year high, you'd expect people to take what's offered. Instead, four in ten have already walked away from a job over office rules," Nowell said.

The report suggests employers may have more success by defining the purpose of office attendance rather than simply increasing the number of required days. Respondents were more open to office time when it was tied to workshops, planning or schedules designed to reduce peak-hour travel.

"Salary budgets are tight right now, so flexibility is one of the few things employers can offer that costs nothing extra. The people least likely to be bought back are senior staff and contractors, and they're the ones whose knowledge is hardest to replace," Nowell said.

"Two thirds of people won't travel more than 40 minutes each way, but most of those who will are happy with three days in. Office days built around workshops and planning, start times that avoid peak traffic and good public transport all make the trip easier to justify. If a manager can't say why the team needs to be in on a given day, the team probably can't either," Nowell said.