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HALF the Australian workforce would reduce their pay for the ability to work from home, yet only a third of organisations have mobile employees.
The Telsyte Australian Digital Workplace Study 2017, released by nbn, finds 51 per cent of workers would forgo a portion of their pay in exchange for significant flexibility – including more than a quarter who would happily earn 5 per cent less and one in 16 who would cut 20 per cent from their income.
Just 35 per cent of respondents would rather work in an office five days a week than do at least a day from home.
“Australia is a lifestyledriven nation and the flexiworking movement, assisted by access to fast broadband, is opening up new opportunities for Australian workers to pursue meaningful careers while also prioritising personal commitments,” social researcher and generational expert Claire Madden says.
“Gen Z will further drive the flexi-work movement as they step into the workforce, being our most technologically literate and connected generation.”
Although 84 per cent of organisations report having at least one system to support mobile workers, just 34 per cent actually have staff working from home at least one day a week. Uptake is most common among IT workers (25 per cent), senior management (21 per cent) and sales representatives (20 per cent).
Steve Krinks (pictured), cofounder and chief marketing officer of business-to-business service Real Time Minds, works from home, allowing him to live outside a capital city.
“All I really need is a laptop and a connection and my phone so I can work anywhere,” he says.
“I don’t have to work from home but I choose to because it’s close to the coffee machine and fridge.”