The bulk of bosses, at least in Canberra, say the benefits of flexible working conditions (like working from home) for employees and businesses cannot be ignored.
However, this acceptance isn't without a healthy amount of concern. Factors such as productivity, collaboration, networking and even isolation emerged when employers were asked about any pitfalls of the practice.
Short-term WFH? No worries
Jonathan Stapels, an account executive at Mude, leads the marketing and web development company's branch in Canberra. He said the cost of not providing a flexible work environment would be attrition, wherein employees quit rigid workplaces.
Mr Stapels said this proved expensive as they lost productivity, needed to train new employees and in cases where they couldn't attract people they would resort to paying a third party to recruit them.
Mr Stapels has had employees holidaying overseas in Europe and Nepal, who begin working remotely from those places once their leave ends. He said being flexible is worth it to help his team when travelling or even when they need "focus days".
"I don't think that organisations are forced or compelled to offer flexible working arrangements. It works for us because it works for the people that work for us, and that's why we do it," Mr Stapels said.
For him, it's mostly in cases of remote working over many months or years where the practice becomes a cause for concern.
To return or not to return
Tech firm CISCO's latest study surveyed 1500 Australians and found 75 per cent of companies had "mandated" a full or partial return to the office.
The study didn't specify how many companies were based in the ACT, but revealed reasons for the mandate were productivity, team communication and "leadership pressure".
Additionally, 68 per cent of employees had a positive reaction to their company's "return policy" while 93 per cent said they wanted to attend the office at least a few times a week.
"The main reason people are returning to work is to collaborate together (76 per cent), ideate and brainstorm with colleagues (52 per cent) and foster a sense of belonging (49 per cent). This shift signifies a change in employee expectations and needs for their workspaces," CISCO's ANZ vice president Ben Dawson said.
'You lose context'
In a business where collaboration is second nature to its employees, Mr Stapels said there were clear differences when it came to working in a populated office surrounded by resources and working long-term from home.
One can't tap their team member on the shoulder to discuss a project or quickly resolve doubts.
"You lose context and context is important. Diversity of thought is also important," Mr Stapels said.
"We've got great people around us all the time who are trying to do good things. They're innovative with problems and challenges that need to be solved."
Similarly, Ken Ong at the web development firm Osky Interactive felt working from home came with definite disadvantages. The managing director was apprehensive about a clear risk to productivity and burnout.
In terms of software engineering, he said their services were essentially born out of creative collaboration.
"All of our projects require teamwork. Communication is key for success of our deliveries. Working in isolation doesn't encourage communication," Mr Ong said. "When people are alongside their colleagues, they get to work on interpersonal skills and this could also help in growth in their career.
"Businesses embrace the WFH mode and there are legitimate reasons for them to do so like acquiring talents from all over. We have senior staff in Sydney and employees in Bali and Malaysia.
"But most of our staff here prefer to be in the office. It's a fairly small town so they're not missing hours in transit."
Based on his observations, he felt most Osky employees were exhausted after mandatory remote working during the pandemic.
However, he added some people seemed to thrive when working from home, in such cases he believed the in-office setting would not suit those employees.
What is the solution?
Professor in management Dr Jennifer Loh from the University of Canberra said remote working technology had not evolved to the extent where it replaced a physical office environment.
She believed working from home in the long or short-term would be a balancing act for employees as much as employers.
"Flexibility is something the employer will need to acknowledge. You can't just say 'you have to come on site'. The employer [also] needs to be creative in terms of what it is that will retain their talents," Dr Loh said.
"You have the younger generation who is absolutely on top of technology and they'll say 'why can't I just do this online? I finish the job in half the time.'
"But employees have a different consideration. It's not only about isolating aspects and finishing the work quickly. But it's also the culture. We as social beings, our mental health, our socialisation skills need to be considered.
"It's a fine balance depending on each industry. Employers and employees [both] need to be flexible."
