Flexible working crucial for NZ office workers, survey shows

Recent research conducted by Cultivate, a recruitment firm based in Auckland, highlights the significant emphasis New Zealand's office workers place on flexible working conditions, especially work-from-home options.

The survey, which sampled over 1,000 office workers, indicated that a substantial 45% of respondents would rethink their employment if their work-from-home (WFH) flexibility were curtailed.

Additional insights from the research suggest that 38% of respondents consider WFH benefits a "deal breaker" when assessing new roles, while 47% stated it as a preference.

Co-founder of Cultivate, Tony Pownall, remarked on the necessity of offering work-from-home options to attract and retain talent. "The majority of jobseekers Cultivate engage with will have rebuilt their lives around hybrid working, and it has become challenging to source talent for roles without offering at least one day of working from home per week," said Pownall.

Pownall believes the findings underscore a shift from the traditional workplace dynamic. "The results clearly demonstrate that organisations need to embrace the notion that work is no longer defined as the place you go, but rather what you do. The concept that workers are most productive when in the same room is a hangover from the industrial revolution and doesn't fit our increasingly knowledge-based economy," he added.

Of those surveyed, only 7.5% have the opportunity to work entirely remotely, with 29% receiving an allowance to work two days from home each week—the most common entitlement. Collaborative office time remains valued, with 65% of workers indicating a preference to work 1-3 days from home.

The research found that the primary motivations for employees choosing WFH arrangements are to save on commuting time (30%) and to boost productivity (27%).

Trina Jones, also a Co-founder of Cultivate, expressed concerns about reducing WFH entitlements. "The Government's decision to reduce flexible working in the public sector contradicts what employees are expressing as their strong preference, and I believe this will lead to staff departures and make it more difficult to recruit for roles," Jones stated.

Jones also highlighted that many workers report higher productivity at home. "Many people we talk to say they are more productive at home than in the office where they can save the time commuting as well as the office distractions of meetings, interruptions, and background noise. So the idea that workers need to commute to the office to be most productive is simply not the case," she noted.

She further advised businesses to consider hybrid work models not as temporary solutions but as part of a permanent workplace strategy. "Businesses need to embrace hybrid working, not as a temporary measure but as a permanent fixture of the modern work environment, to remain competitive in the talent market. COVID only accelerated a trend that we saw happening anyway. We know that happy team members are productive team members so giving staff WFH allowances is a win-win for both employers and employees," said Jones.

The study also revealed that 16% of respondents reported reduced work flexibility in the past year. Interestingly, organisational leaders are less inclined to utilise or value WFH arrangements, with 46% indicating that less flexibility would not personally impact them. "Leaders should therefore be careful to ensure their own views on flexibility don't influence decisions on organisational policy," remarked Pownall.

Despite some reductions, 72% of organisations continue to permit some level of work-from-home, especially in sectors such as Utilities & Energy, Government, and Information & Communication Technology.