HR:pulse · AHRI pulse suRvey ANYTIME ANYWHERE WORK HR:pulse Sponsored by: AnytIme AnywHeRe wORK 2...

ANYTIME ANYWHERE WORK 1

AHRI pulse suRveyANYTIME ANYWHERE WORK

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A combination of factors, among them the 2009 Fair Work Act provisions relating to employee requests for flexible working arrangements, has given further impetus to an existing trend favouring employee workplace outcomes over worker inputs and time-serving. Flexible working arrangements particularly underpin workplace outcomes that can be completed independently by an employee ‘anywhere anytime’, compared to those involving interdependent activities with colleagues that are best undertaken at the office.

The promise of high-speed communications technology with the implementation of a national broadband network over the past half-decade has also played a part in encouraging employers and employees to move towards acceptance of the view that where and when work is conducted is of less significance than issues around quality and productivity. In the face of these developments, and despite the lowering expectations about the timing and form of the promised NBN, the case for flexible workplaces has steadily gained ground in recent years.

The findings of this report offer some insights from HR practitioners into existing practices and attitudes to ‘anytime anywhere work’.

One matter of interest is the sharp focus within organisations that flexible work policies are placing on workplace health and safety issues, with 93 per cent of respondents reporting that WHS issues are given specific coverage in their organisations’ policies. While that may not be surprising given the alarms raised by off-site accident compensation cases, it is encouraging to note among the findings that organisations are taking steps to assess and mitigate the risks associated with flexible work, particularly workplaces in employees’ homes, which will ultimately benefit both employees and employers.

The findings, however, also reveal that training around flexible work practices is under-developed. A large

proportion of respondents report that flexible work policies in their organisation do not cover specific training for the managers of flexible workers (70 per cent), the peers and colleagues of flexible workers (82 per cent), or the flexible workers themselves (74 per cent). Training is vital to the development of any off-site work policy, and ensures that on-site workers, managers and colleagues have the skills, techniques and the expectations required to operate confidently and effectively in flexible-work environments. Organisations will need to look at investing in this area, if they want to create a sustainable flexible work culture along with an appropriate capability.

In terms of the likely impact of the national broadband network on flexible work options, the level of expectation among respondents is surprisingly low. A reasonable majority of respondents do not expect the NBN to be the key driver of organisational impetus towards encouragement of off-site work options (70 per cent) or to boost the number of employee requests for off-site work options (62 per cent). That may be because a sizeable majority of the respondent sample is based in metropolitan locations. However, given that around a third of respondents do not expect to see improvements in speed and reliability either at home, in the workplace, or at off-site locations, uncertainty about the promise of NBN capability may also be a contributing factor.

Peter Wilson AM Chairman Australian Human Resources Institute


This report provides an interesting snapshot, as the HR practitioners sampled in the survey see it, of the present situation regarding flexible anytime-anywhere work in Australian organisations.

The study explores the areas and issues covered in organisations’ flexible work policies, and the reasons why certain areas aren’t given coverage.

As often happens, the majority of respondents are practitioners whose organisations are active in this area in some way. It would be beneficial to get a greater proportion of respondents offering their views on why their organisation is not taking up flexible work options.

Regardless, it will be interesting to follow the findings reported here with findings to a similar survey in the next year or two, and into the more distant future.

I would like to express my appreciation to those members who contributed to the survey.

Lyn Goodear Chief Executive Officer Australian Human Resources Institute

Acknowledgements

Project Sponsor: Peter WilsonProject Director: Lyn GoodearResearch Coordinator: Dana GrgasAuthors: Paul Begley, Femi Hardwick-Slack Design: Kelly McKillop

© Copyright Australian Human Resources Institute

September 2014


Key FIndIngs At A glAnce

• Of the 379 respondents who have taken this survey, Nearly half (179 respondents) report that their organisation has a policy that covers flexible work practices

• In terms of location, the sample of respondents report that policies in their organisation cover such issues as working from at home (91%) and working while travelling (42%).

• In terms of hours, 74% of respondents report that policies cover working early morning or late evenings, and 77% report variations to standard rosters.

• In relation to workplaces with work health and safety policies, 96% of the yes sample report that policies cover WHS affecting work in the home and 55% on issues relating to reasonable working hours.

• Nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents report that training for employees working flexibly is not covered in their organisation, and even more report (82%) that training of colleagues and peers of flexible workers is not covered. Slightly fewer respondents (70%) report that training of managers is not covered in flexible work policies

• Of the respondents whose organisations have flexible work policies, 49% report that the initiative to work off-site comes from employees, 5% report it coming from employers and 45% report it comes from both.

• The three main benefits of flexible off-site work identified by respondents are the capacity to occasionally to care for family members (77%), avoiding the distraction of the office to get more work done (73%), and cutting out long travel times (72%).

• The three main disadvantages of flexible off-site work identified by respondents are difficulties in communicating with colleagues (65%), loneliness and isolation (57%), and difficulty with communication technologies (53%).

• Approximately 30% of respondents expect the NBN will increase the likelihood their organisation will encourage off-site work options, but 70% do not expect that it will.

• Around 38% of respondents expect that the NBN will cause an increase in staff requests for off-site work options, but 62% believe it will not.

• A sizeable minority of respondents report there are often difficulties with technology when working off-site, either due to home computers (24%), or because of problems with the technology supplied by the organisation (38%). Nearly a third of respondents (30%) report that there is no difference in the reliability of technology employees use for on-site and off-site work

• On the likely effect of the NBN, respondents expect to see improvements in speed and reliability of computer systems either at home (55%), in the workplace (38%) or at off-site locations (40%), but reasonable minorities do not expect to see any appreciable improvements at home (17%) or at other off-site work locations (21%).


suRvey OveRvIew

The survey was conducted online in March and April 2014 and communicated by email to a sample of the Australian Human Resources Institute members.

A total of 379 respondents returned answers to the survey. Responses were treated anonymously.


demOgRApHIcs

Figure 1 shows that 29.41% of respondents work in organisations with over 1000 employees, while 39.57% work in organisations of 101-1000 employees. Just under one-third of respondents (31.02%) work in organisations of 100 people or less.

Figure 2 indicates that more than half of respondents work in the private sector (53.48%), while just over one-quarter (27.01%) work in the public sector. Approximately 17% of respondents work in not-for-profit organisations.

FIguRE 1. SIzE OF ORgANISATION374 RESPONSES

FIguRE 2. ORgANISATION TYPE374 RESPONSES

9.6%8.8%

12.6%11.5%

16.8%

11.2%

29.4%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

1-20 21-50 51-100 101-200 201-500 501-1000 1000+

27.0%

53.5%

16.8%

2.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Public Private Not for profit Other


demOgRApHIcs

Table 1 shows that the survey respondents work in a broad range of industry sectors. Medical/health is the most highly represented sector (8.52%), followed by manufacturing (6.59%), mining/resources (6.32%) and government federal (6.02%). The other sectors each represent less than 5% of respondents.

TABLE 1. ORgANISATION INDuSTRY364 RESPONSES

ANSWER COUNT PERCENTAgEAgriculture/Fishing/Forestry 5 1.37%Arts/Media 7 1.92%Consulting - Professional 15 4.12%Consulting - Recruitment 12 3.30%Consulting - HR specific 11 3.02%Education - Commercial 8 2.20%Education - Higher education 12 3.30%Education - TAFE/VET 10 2.75%Engineering 13 3.57%Finance/Banking 17 4.67%Government Federal 22 6.04%Government Local 15 4.12%Government State 16 4.40%Hospitality 5 1.37%Import/Export 3 0.82%IT 9 2.47%Legal 3 0.82%Manufacturing 24 6.59%Medical/Health 31 8.52%Mining/Resources 23 6.32%Motor Vehicle 2 0.55%Printing/Publishing 1 0.27%Retail 8 2.20%Sales/Marketing/PR/Advertising 2 0.55%Science/Research 5 1.37%Sport/Recreation 3 0.82%Telecommunications 6 1.65%Textiles/Clothing/Footwear 1 0.27%Tourism 1 0.27%Transport/Logistics 9 2.47%Utilities 8 2.20%Other 57 15.66%


demOgRApHIcs

According to figure 3 approximately three-quarters (73.42%) of respondents work in a metropolitan area, while just under one-quarter (22.74%) are based in regional areas. Only 3.84% of respondents are located in remote areas.

Figure 4 indicates that over half of respondents are based in either Victoria (27.25%) or New South Wales (26.43%). Queensland represents16.89% of respondents and Western Australia accounts for 12.53%. The remaining states and territories represent around one-sixth of respondents (16.89%).

FIguRE 3. LOCATION OF RESPONDENTS365 RESPONSES

FIguRE 4. STATE OR TERRITORY OF RESPONDENTS367 RESPONSES

73.4%

22.7%

3.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Metro Regional Remote

3.8%

26.4%

1.4%

16.9%

7.9%

27.3%

12.5%

1.9% 1.9%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

ACT NSW NT QLD SA VIC WA TAS Other


detAIled FIndIngs

FIguRE 5. DOES YOuR ORgANISATION HAVE A POLICY OR POLICIES THAT COVER FLEXIBLE ANYWHERE ANYTIME WORK PRACTICES?379 RESPONSES

yes: FIguRE 6. DO THE POLCIES COVER ALL EMPLOYEES, REgARDLESS OF ROLE, LEVEL OR LOCATION?179 RESPONSES

Figure 5 shows that just under half (47.23%) of respondents’ organisations have policies that cover flexible anytime anywhere work practices, while just over half (52.77%) of respondents’ organisations do not.

Figure 6 reveals that of the 179 respondents’ organisations that have flexible work policies in place, approximately 65% cover all employees regardless of role, level or location. Around 35% do not cover all employees.

47.2%

52.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Yes No

64.8%

35.2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Yes No


detAIled FIndIngs

“Service delivery/client facing roles which require staff to be in office locations to receive/deal with clients face to face”

“Junior roles that require supervision and mentoring”

“Our Payroll professionals work on confidential data. They can only get to this from our fixed IP address as a precaution, so they have to attend the office’’

“Hospitality operational roles need to be based within the premises as they are customer facing and providing service”

“Generally, the flexible working arrangements are only available to individuals with exceptional circumstances or employees returning from maternity leave”

“Operational roles - have to be on location to complete tasks”

“Roles that are deployed on ships and in overseas operations. Also those under training”

“Only available to very select group of senior managers and officially only to one Manager”

“Roles which require a high level of interaction with colleagues in the same office are generally not approved to be worked flexibly”

“Blue collars and all those who perform activities where their presence on site is strongly recommended”

nO: WHAT ROLES ARE EXCLuDED AND WHY?61 RESPONSES

lOcAtIOn: FIguRE 7. DO THE POLICIES COVER ISSuES THAT RELATE TO WORKINg FLEXIBLY AT LOCATIONS OuTSIDE THE CENTRAL BuSINESS PREMISES OF THE ORgANISATION?179 RESPONSES

Respondents were asked to identify the roles that are excluded and why. A sample of responses is set out below.

92.2%

7.8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes No

Figure 7 reveals that the majority of respondents (92.18%) report that their organisations’ policies cover locations outside the central business premises.


detAIled FIndIngs

Table 2 indicates that 91.35% of respondents report that the home is explicitly covered in their organisations’ flexible work policies. Fewer than half (41.97%) report that travel is covered, approximately a quarter (25.92%) report that wherever the employee happens to be is covered, and just over a fifth (22.22%) report that working hubs are covered. Less than 5% of respondents report that hotel foyers, libraries and cafes are covered in their organisations ’policies.

TABLE 2: INDICATE WHAT TYPES OF LOCATIONS ARE EXPLICITLY COVERED IN THE POLICY162 RESPONDENTS

ANSWERS (mUlTiPlE OPTiONS AllOWEd) COUNT PERCENTAgE

Employees' homes 148 91.35%

Working hubs 36 22.22%

Cafes 8 4.93%

Libraries 7 4.32%

Hotel foyers 8 4.93%

Travelling 68 41.97%

Wherever employees happen to be 42 25.92%

Other 11 6.79%


detAIled FIndIngs

Table 3 shows that over half (53.84%) of respondents who answered this question report that one of the reasons their organisation doesn’t have a work locations policy is because all employees are expected to work on site. Slightly fewer respondents (38.46%) report that they don’t have a policy because employees take personal responsibility for work they do off-site, and 23.07% report that it is because their organisation has not thought of it yet. Only a minority of respondents report that their organisation doesn’t have a work locations policy because managers take professional responsibility for employees working off-site (7.69%), or that a policy is currently under consideration but not yet formulated (7.69%).

Figure 8 shows that approximately two-thirds (63.69%) of respondents report that the flexible work policies of their organisation give coverage to time outside standard business hours, while around one-third (36.31%) report that flexible times are not covered by policies.

nO: TABLE 3. WHY DOESN’T THE ORgANISATION HAVE A WORK LOCATIONS POLICY?13 RESPONDENTS

tIme: FIguRE 8. DO THE POLICIES COVER ISSuES THAT RELATE TO WORKINg AT FLEXIBLE TIMES OuTSIDE THE STANDARD BuSINESS HOuRS OF THE ORgANISATION?179 RESPONSES

63.7%

36.3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Yes No


Because all employees are expected to work on site 7 53.84%

Because employees take personal responsibility for work they do off site 5 38.46%

Because managers take professional responsibility for employees working off site 1 7.69%

Because the organisation has not thought of it 3 23.07%

Because the organisation is considering a policy but has not yet formulated one 1 7.69%

Other 1 7.69%


detAIled FIndIngs

yes: TABLE 4. INDICATE WHAT FLEXIBLE TIME FACTORS ARE EXPLICITLY COVERED IN THE POLICY110 RESPONDENTS

nO: TABLE 5: WHY DOESN’T THE ORgANISATION HAVE A FLEXIBLE WORKINg HOuRS POLICY?59 RESPONDENTS

According to table 4 around three-quarters (77.27%) of respondents identify variations to standard rosters and early mornings and/or late evenings for standard 9-5 roles (73.63%) as time factors covered in their flexible working policies. Approximately one-third (33.63%) of respondents report that the option to include/avoid weekends is covered, while around a quarter (24.54%) of respondents indicate the option to include/avoid public holidays. Around one-fifth (19.09%) report that local hour in overseas time zones is explicitly covered.

Of the sample that answered this question, table 5 reveals that 37.28% of respondents report that their organisation does not have a flexible work policy because employees take personal responsibility for times worked outside standard hours, while 28.81% of respondents report that their organisation hasn’t thought of it yet. A relatively small number indicate that their organisation does not permit overtime (8.47%), or that a working hours policy is still under consideration (5.08%). The remainder have similar levels of representation, ranging from 16-20% of respondents’ answers.


Variations to standard rosters 85 77.27%

Early mornings and/or late evenings for standard 9-5 roles 81 73.63%

Option to include/avoid weekends 37 33.63%

Option to include/avoid public holidays 27 24.54%

Local hours in overseas time zones 21 19.09%

Other 9 8.18%


Because all employees are expected to work at set times 11 18.64%

Because there is a standard overtime policy 12 20.38%

Because the organisation does not permit overtime 5 8.47%

Because employees take personal responsibility for times worked outside standard hours 22 37.28%

Because managers take professional responsibility for staff working hours 11 18.64%

Because the organisation does not think it’s necessary to have a working hours policy 10 16.94%


Because the organisation is considering a working hours policy but has not yet formulated one 3 5.08%

Other 10 16.94%


detAIled FIndIngs

FleXIBle wORK And wORKplAce HeAltH And sAFety: FIguRE 9. DO THE POLICIES COVER ISSuES THAT RELATE TO WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY ISSuES179 RESPONSES

yes: TABLE 6. INDICATE WHAT TYPES OF WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY (WHS) ISSuES ARE EXPLICITLY COVERED IN THE POLICY165 RESPONDENTS

Figure 9 shows the majority of respondents (93.3%) report that their organisations’ policies cover issues relating to workplace health and safety. Only 6.7% report that these issues are not covered in the policies.

Table 6 reveals that a large majority (96.36%) of respondents report that WHS issues affecting employees in their homes are explicitly covered in the organisation’s flexible work policy, while more than a half (55.15%) report that WHS issues relating to reasonable hours are covered. Table 6 also indicates that there is generally low coverage of WHS issues relating to working at hubs (15.15%), other residents at employees’ homes (12.12%), working at hotel foyers (4.24%), libraries (3.63%), and cafes (2.42%).

93.3%

6.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Yes No


WHS issues affecting employees at their homes 159 96.36%

WHS issues affecting other residents at employees’ homes 20 12.12%

WHS issues working at hubs 25 15.15%

WHS issues working at cafes 4 2.42%

WHS issues working at libraries 6 3.63%

WHS issues working at hotel foyers 7 4.24%

WHS issues relating to reasonable working hours 91 55.15%

Other 23 13.9%


detAIled FIndIngs

nO: TABLE 7. WHY DOESN’T THE ORgANISATION HAVE RELEVANT WHS POLICIES?12 RESPONDENTS

Of the small sample that answered this question, table 7 shows that a third (33.33%) of respondents indicate that their organisation does not have relevant WHS policies because employees take personal responsibility for work they do off-site or outside standard hours, while only 16.66% report that that their organisation has not yet thought of it. The remaining answers were each selected by 25% of respondents.


Because all employees are expected to work on site during rostered hours 3 25%

Because managers take responsibility for work conducted off site or outside standard hours 3 25%

Because employees take personal responsibility for work they do off site or outside standard hours 4 33.33%


Because the organisation is considering a policy but has not yet formulated one 3 25%

Other 2 16.66%


detAIled FIndIngs

tRAInIng: FIguRE 10. DO THE FLEXIBLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORK POLICIES COVER ISSuES THAT RELATE TO TRAININgEmployees undertaking anytime anywhere work?179 RESPONSES

FIguRE 11. DO THE FLEXIBLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORK POLICIES COVER ISSuES THAT RELATE TO TRAININgThe peers and colleagues of anytime, anywhere workers?174 RESPONSES

FIguRE 12. DO THE FLEXIBLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORK POLICIES COVER ISSuES THAT RELATE TO TRAININgThe managers of anytime, anywhere workers?176 RESPONSES

Figure 10 shows that only one-quarter (26.6%) of respondents report that their organisation covers the issue of training employees in their flexible work policies, while three-quarters (73.74%) report that this isn’t covered.

Figure 11 shows that less than one-fifth (18.39%) of respondents report that their organisation covers the issue of training peers and colleagues of flexible workers, while 81.61% report it does not.

Figure 12 shows that around one-third (30.11%) of respondents report that their organisation covers the issue of training the managers of employees who are working flexibly, while two-thirds (69.89%) reported it does not.

26.3%

73.7%

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10%

20%

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80%

Yes No

18.4%

81.6%

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10%

20%

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90%

Yes No

30.1%

69.9%

0%

10%

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70%

80%

Yes No


detAIled FIndIngs

TABLE 8. INDICATE WHAT TYPES OF TRAININg ARE PROVIDED IN RELATION TO FLEXIBLE ANYTIME, ANYWHERE WORK179 RESPONDENTS

Table 8 shows the most common training types provided by organisations are training in WHS and wellbeing for off-site work (42.45%), training in the use of relevant communication technologies (31.28%), and training in expectations with respect to reporting requirements (24.58%). Less than half (44.69%) of respondents report that their organisation does not provide any training in relation to flexible work.


Employee training in time management 36 20.11%

Employee training in the use of relevant communication technologies 56 31.28%

Employee training in expectations with respect to reporting requirements 44 24.58%

Employee training in workplace health and safety and wellbeing for off-site work 76 42.45%

Manager training in ways to select appropriate employees for off-site work 21 11.73%

Manager training in techniques for maintaining communication with off-site employees 34 18.99%

Manager training in how to monitor the well-being of off-site employees 26 14.52%

Manager training in ways to ensure that off-site employees are performing productively 33 18.43%

Culture training so that there is a general expectation that employees working off-site are treated as though they are working on site with respect to availability, performance and productivity

40 22.34%

No training provided 80 44.69%

Other 7 3.91%


detAIled FIndIngs

Figure 13 reveals that almost half (49.16%) of respondents report that the initiative to work off-site comes from employees, while 45.25% report that the initiative comes from both employees and employers. Only a minority of respondents (4.47%) report that the initiative comes from employers.

cHOIce: FIguRE 13. IN YOuR ORgANISATION DOES THE INITIATIVE TO WORK OFF-SITE COME FROM EMPLOYEES OR EMPLOYERS?179 RESPONSES

49.2%

4.5%

45.3%

1.1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Employees Employers Both Neither

TABLE 9. WHY DOESN’T THE ORgANISATION HAVE RELEVANT TRAININg FOR EMPLOYEES WORKINg FLEXIBLY?78 RESPONDENTS

Table 9 reveals that 37.17% of respondents who answered this question report that the reason their organisation does not have relevant training for employees working flexibly is because employees take personal responsibility for work they do off site or outside normal hours. Slightly fewer (34.61%) respondents report that their organisations do not have a policy because managers take professional responsibility for managing work conducted off site or outside normal hours. Less than one-third (29.48%) of respondents report that their organisation has not yet thought of conducting training.


Because all employees are expected to work on site at rostered times 6 7.69%

Because employees take personal responsibility for work they do off site or outside normal hours 29 37.17%

Because managers take professional responsibility for managing work conducted off site or outside normal hours 27 34.61%

Because the organisation does not think it’s necessary to have training 13 16.66%

Because the organisation has not thought of conducting training 23 29.48%

Because the organisation is considering a training policy but has not yet formulated one 7 8.97%

Other 11 14.10%


detAIled FIndIngs

TABLE 10. WHY DO EMPLOYEES REQuEST PERMISSION TO WORK OFF-SITE?167 RESPONDENTS

Table 10 revels that the most common reasons given by employees requesting to work off-site are to perform occasional caring duties (72.45%); to perform regular caring duties (71.25%), and to reduce travel time (62.27%).

ANSWERS (mUlTiPlE OPTiONS AllOWEd) COUNT PERCENTAgEWant flexible arrangements to perform regular caring duties (e.g. children, aged parents) 119 71.25%

Want flexible arrangements to perform occasional caring duties (e.g. children, aged parents) 121 72.45%

Want flexible arrangements to pursue leisure activities 38 22.75%

Want flexible arrangements because of a physical disability 33 19.76%

Want flexible arrangements because of a mental or psychological disability 31 18.56%

Want flexible arrangements to enable employment in remote location 55 32.93%

Want flexible arrangements to enable employment in regional location 60 35.92%

Want flexible arrangements as part of a staged retirement plan 32 19.16%

Want flexible arrangements to reduce travel time 104 62.27%

Want flexible arrangements to eradicate need for travel 69 41.31%

Other 7 4.19%


detAIled FIndIngs

Figure 14 shows that 83.24% of respondents report that the flexible work policy is always or sometimes policy taken up, while 16.76% report that it isn’t taken up and modelled by senior employees.

FIguRE 14. IS THE POLICY TAKEN uP AND THE PRACTICES MODELLED BY EMPLOYEES IN SENIOR/HIgHER LEVELS IN THE ORgANISATION?176 RESPONSES

40.2%

16.8%

43.0%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Yes No Sometimes

TABLE 11. WHY DOES THE EMPLOYER ASK EMPLOYEES TO WORK OFF-SITE?80 RESPONDENTS

Table 11 indicates that more than half (55%) of respondents who answered this question report that employers ask employees to work off-site in order to reduce employees’ travel time. Slightly fewer respondents report that employers want flexible arrangements to employ workers in a regional location (51.25%) or in a remote location (43.75%). Less than half (41.25%) report that the reason employers request off-site arrangements is to reduce office costs, while approximately a third (32.5%) report it is to eradicate the need for a central office location.


Wants flexible arrangements to employ people with a physical disability 12 15%

Wants flexible arrangements to employ people with a mental or psychological disability 8 10%

Wants off site arrangements to employ workers in a remote location 35 43.75%

Wants off site arrangements to employ workers in a regional location 41 51.25%

Wants flexible arrangements to enable staged retirement plans for older workers 16 20%

Wants flexible arrangements to reduce employees’ travel time 44 55%

Wants off site arrangements to reduce office costs 33 41.25%

Wants off site arrangements to eradicate the need for a central office location 26 32.5%

Wants off site arrangements to reduce the environmental/social impact of employees travelling to the workplace i.e. car emissions, congestion etc. 20 25%


detAIled FIndIngs

“Senior employees tend to be given more flexibility options”

“The change is gaining momentum and flexible work practices are becoming more and more accepted”

“Expected that senior employees work onsite”

“Strongly advocated by the Director of the area, and the Management Board”

“Many senior managers utilise flexible work practices”

“Not an encouraged practice in our organisation”

“More on an ad-hoc basis at senior levels”

“Flexibility is a key focus and something done well here”

COMMENTS21 RESPONSES

Respondents were invited to provide comments alongside their response to this question. A sample of responses is set out below.

BeneFIts And sHORtcOmIngs OF AnytIme AnywHeRe wORK: TABLE 12. WHAT DO YOu SEE AS THE MAIN BENEFITS OF FLEXIBLE OFF-SITE WORK FOR EMPLOYEES IN YOuR ORgANISATION?172 RESPONDENTS

Table 12 shows that the most commonly identified benefits of flexible off-site work are the capacity to occasionally care for family members (77.32%); avoiding the distraction of the office to get more work done (73.25%), and cutting out long travel times (72.67%). The least frequently cited benefit is that older workers can reduce their hours and on-site attendance as part of a staged retirement (34.88%).


Enables employees to avoid the distraction of the office to get more work done 126 73.25%

Cuts out long travel times at either end of the day 125 72.67%

Enables some workers who can’t come to the office regularly to remain in employment (e.g. people with a disability, people living in remote locations) 85 49.41%

Enables some workers to work from home occasionally to care for family members 133 77.32%

Enables older workers to reduce their hours and on site attendance as part of a staged retirement 60 34.88%

Enables some employees to balance leisure activities with work 76 44.18%


detAIled FIndIngs

“It contributes to retention and attraction of good people and key talent, can be cost beneficial and demonstrates agility”

“Work still gets done despite life impacts (i.e. caring, getting tradies in, funerals etc.). When you have a piece of work that requires concentration for a set period of time it can be fantastic”

“Assists if people have a physical disability and works well for staff who don’t need face to face time with colleagues, rather email and telephone contact only”

“Employees who work off-site seem to be more productive and better at managing their time. This arrangement promotes loyalty and therefore staff retention”

“Demonstrates trust in the staff members. Shows that outcomes are more important than ‘face time’”

“Many younger employees also have flexible work plans as they are completing university or TAFE education so they require flexible patterns for study or completion of assessments”

“It’s a sign that the employer wants to treat employees as adults who will deliver on their work regardless of 9-5 attendance at the office”

“Reduce the need for expensive office space”

Respondents were invited to make comments about the benefits of flexible off-site work. A sample of responses is set out below.



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TABLE 13. WHAT DO YOu SEE AS THE MAIN SHORTCOMINgS OF FLEXIBLE OFF-SITE WORK FOR EMPLOYEES IN YOuR ORgANISATION?152 RESPONDENTS

Table 13 shows that almost two-thirds (65.13%) of respondents identify difficulty in communicating with colleagues as a main shortcoming of flexible work off-site. This is closely followed by loneliness and isolation (57.23%), difficulty with communication technologies (53.28%), and difficulty in reporting to managers and getting feedback (44.73%). Fewer numbers of respondents identify not being included in training exercises (30.26%) or passed over for promotional opportunities (24.34%) as the main shortcoming.

“Technology restrictions are currently making it more difficult for a portion of our workforce to fully embrace all the flexible options available to others. Managers need additional training to ensure they are equipped with the skills to manage remote workers”

“Whenever I have worked off-site I have missed the benefit of being able to ‘drop by’ someone’s desk or vice versa - you miss those incidental conversations which are so important for HR. I also generally spend at least half an hour each time trying to get my technology to work (it’s different every time) and once my partner gets home from work I am easily distracted by him being there”

“It depends on the person. Some people thrive on flexible work and their workload increases. Others struggle with the lack of structure and end up doing less work in more time. It’s not just about circumstances, it’s on the person as well”

“Any shortcoming of flexible off-site working arrangements can be overcome with the commitment of both the employee and employer”

“Communication is the biggest issue in our workplace when it comes to flexible work practices as managers need to be trained on how to better communicate with off-site employees”

“Health and safety aspects of the flexible off-site work - e.g. needing to carry out an inspection of the home and then not being able to supervise that the worker is working safely”

“If neither manager or employee understands how best to communicate and package work to make both parties visibly accountable (...), the work arrangement can risk being un productive and fracture the relationship”

COMMENTS52 RESPONSESRespondents were invited to make comments about the shortcomings of flexible off-site work. A sample of responses is set out below.


They find it more difficult to communicate with key colleagues 99 65.13%

They find it more difficult to report to their manager and get feedback 68 44.73%

They experience more difficulty with communication technologies than their colleagues in the office 81 53.28%

Some experience loneliness and isolation and miss the camaraderie of contact with colleagues 87 57.23%

Some complain that they are not included in training exercises 46 30.26%

Some complain they are passed over for promotional opportunities 37 24.34%


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tecHnOlOgy And AnytIme AnywHeRe wORK: FIguRE 15. DO YOu EXPECT THE NATIONAL BROADBAND NETWORK (NBN) WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT YOuR ORgANISATION WILL ENCOuRAgE OFF-SITE WORK OPTIONS?373 RESPONSES

FIguRE 16. DO YOu EXPECT THE NBN WILL INCREASE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT YOuR ORgANISATION WILL gET MORE STAFF REQuESTS FOR OFF-SITE WORK OPTIONS?373 RESPONSES

30.3%

69.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Yes No

Figure 15 shows that less than one-third (30.29%) of respondents expect that NBN will increase organisational encouragement of off-site work options, while over two-thirds (69.71%) do not expect that the NBN will have an impact.

Figure 16 shows that 61.66% of respondents expect that the NBN will not cause an increase in staff requests for off-site work options, while 38.34% believe the NBN will.

38.3%

61.7%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Yes No


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TABLE 14. WHAT MOST TYPIFIES THE FEEDBACK ON TECHNOLOgY THAT EMPLOYEES gIVE ABOuT WORKINg OFF-SITE IN YOuR ORgANISATION?364 RESPONDENTS

TABLE 15. WHAT IS YOuR EXPECTATION OF THE EFFECT OF THE NATIONAL BROADBAND NETWORK?354 RESPONDENTS

Table 14 reveals that difficulties with technology are often experienced when working off-site, with 38.18% of respondents reporting that employees in their organisation often experience difficulties with the technology supplied by the organisation, and around a quarter 24.45% report that employees in their organisation often experience difficulties with home computers. Fewer respondents report that their employees typically don’t have difficulties with the technology supplied by their organisation (17.85%), or using a home computer (18.68%). Fewer than a third (30.21%) of respondents report that feedback suggests there is no difference in the reliability of the technology employees use for work on-site and off-site.

Table 15 indicates that over half (54.51%) of the respondents expect to see improvements in the speed and reliability of computer access at home as a result of NBN, while only 16.66% don’t expect it will make a difference. More than a third (38.13%) of respondents expect to see an improvement in the speed and reliability of computer systems in the workplace, while almost a quarter (24.85%) do not expect it will. Less than half (40.39%) of respondents expect the NBN will improve the speed and reliability of computer access at off-site locations, while approximately a fifth (20.90%) do not.


Working offsite using my home computer is trouble free 68 18.68%

Working offsite using my home computer is often difficult 89 24.45%

The technology supplied by the organisation is trouble free when I work offsite 65 17.85%

The technology supplied by the organisation experiences difficulties when I work offsite 139 38.18%

There is no difference between the reliability of the technology I use for work onsite and offsite 110 30.21%


It will improve the speed and reliability of computer systems at my workplace 135 38.13%

It will improve the speed and reliability of computer access at my home 193 54.51%

It will improve the speed and reliability of computer access at off-site work locations 143 40.39%

It will not make any difference to the speed and reliability of computer systems at my workplace 88 24.85%

It will not make any difference to the speed and reliability of computer systems at my home 59 16.66%

It will not make any difference to the speed and reliability of computer systems at off-site work locations 74 20.90%


“Our workplace computer speed web is restricted by the companies own network. The NBN will not help. The area where I live is not planned to be covered by the NBN”

“Fast NBN satellite links for remote sites are still a long way from implementation”

“We have over 28 locations in Australia so we should see a material difference”

“It would be a huge business advantage to ensure regular, reliable broadband access for the majority of workers”

“If it ever gets going, my belief is that it will significantly increase internet speeds and open up better communication systems for employees”

“I expect the NBN will increase connection speed, which is the greatest frustration when working off-site”

“Hopefully it will improve speed and reliability - the issue is not NBN in my organisation, it is the IT possibilities internally”

“Our off-site technology is now reasonable and where it isn’t that is due to other factors apart from the NBN (our own software, hardware and comms choices)”

“I believe we need high speed internet for all of Australia. We’re lagging behind the developed nations of the world”

“NBN is not reaching critical remote locations and will not support off-site working”

“Being in regional areas doesn’t always guarantee good service (if at all) - hopefully the NBN will remove any barriers from working in regional locations”

“We already have good connectivity”

“We have a restricted system so I am not sure the NBN will assist with our technology”


Respondents were invited to provide comments alongside their response to this question. A sample of responses is set out below.

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TABLE 16. VIEWS ON NBN

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PlEASE STATE WhEThER yOU AgREE OR diSAgREE WiTh ThE fOllOWiNg STATEmENTS REgARdiNg ThE NBN:365 RESPONSES

ANSWER AgREE diSAgREE dON’T KNOW

I believe an NBN with fibre to the node will be sufficient to give my organisation the confidence to encourage Anytime Anywhere work 61 (17.28%) 108 (30.59%) 184 (52.12%)

I believe an NBN with fibre to the premises will be necessary to give my organisation the confidence to encourage Anytime Anywhere work 86 (24.64%) 96 (27.51%) 167 (47.85%)

I believe it won’t matter whether the NBN is fibre to the premises or fibre to the node in order to give my organisation the confidence to encourage Anytime Anywhere work 155 (43.54%) 55 (15.45%) 146 (41.01%)

Table 16 indicates that many respondents are uncertain of the effect NBN could have, with approximately half indicating that they don’t know if the NBN fibre to the node (52.12%) or to the premises (47.85%) would give their organisation the confidence to encourage Anytime Anywhere work. Only 17.28% of respondents agree that an NBN with fibre to the node would be sufficient, and just under a quarter (24.64%) believe an NBN fibre to the premises would be necessary. When asked if they believe it didn’t matter whether the NBN is fibre to the premises or fibre to the node, 43.54% of respondents agree, 41.01% don’t know, and less than one-sixth (15.45%) disagree with the statement.

AustrAliAn HumAn resources institute limitedABN 44 120 687 149Level 13, 565 Bourke StreetMelbourne Victoria 3000T (+613) 9918 9200F (+613) 9918 9201

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Disclaimer: This publication represents a sample of the views and perspectives of the AHRI member respondents who contributed to the workplace survey on which it was based. Although AHRI has exercised due care and skill in its preparation, it does not warrant its accuracy, completeness, currency or suitability for any purpose.

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