The huge, silent revolution that has spawned a new way of living – but don’t dare mention it in public
Working from home – it’s changed us as a society, for better or worse, so why are we keeping so much to ourselves writes Greg Hallam
Working from home ( WFH) is back in the headlines following NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns’ edict to that state’s public servants to return to their offices.
His Queensland and Victorian counterparts have declared no change to the current arrangements for those state’s public sector workforces.
Of course , there is another whole world of private sector, gig and not-for-profit workers who carry on regardless.
According to the McKinsey Group, office attendance globally is down 30% on previous norms.Interestingly they also found little social stratification, that is, WFH varied little according to age, income or seniority.
Most published research says that we are working from home two to three days a week, with the private sector leading the way.
Much to many’s surprise the legal sector is a leader in this regard. In a recent Law Society Online Journal it was said that 90% of legal firms’ employees are engaged on a hybrid or WFH basis.
IT and Comms has employed a WFH and hybrid workforce model for well over a decade. The Gartner Group , the leading global tech advisory company, says they see no reason why that will change.
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Moreover, that new forms of technology such as generative AI will supercharge that movement in allied workplaces.
The serious research by reputable institutions has shown no real decline in workforce productivity arising from WFH, indeed there have been some improvements.
However, and not unsurprisingly , it’s been found to impact teamwork and even the mental health of some employees who need connection.
It struck me, that as a community we don’t openly talk about WFH. It’s kind of weird.
I’m not sure why that’s the case – impolite to discuss one’s working arrangements, fear of losing that privilege, or heaven knows what else?
Yet it’s been the most pervasive change in our lives for a generation. Think childcare, transport, shopping, our CBDs, real estate values, eating out and ordering-in, community groups, grandparents’ role in child rearing and the list goes on.
In my middle ring north Brisbane suburb those changes are abundantly clear, palpable if you like.
We physically see our neighbours far more often – working or relaxing in the yard , walking dogs, coffee, or even shopping. In truth very few , if any of my neighbours are in the public sector.
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Rather, it’s IT, fashion wholesaling, law, design , communications etc.
So WFH and hybrid work is pervasive. But people don’t talk about , it’s cursory chat at best. Are we just getting on with it, without reflecting on whats really happening?
I also see it with my two eldest professional daughters who live in Brisbane with their young families. Their focus of attention is very much their” burb” .
Those burbs have changed dramatically in the last few years to reflect the new way of things – retail and services sectors responding rapidly.
To my mind, it has also changed some child rearing practices, not that I’m complaining . .In relative terms there is less reliance on child care ,even grandparents , but greater levels of community integration with other WFH mums.
In a recent Harvard Business Review article on the affect of “hybrid work “ on the real estate industry the author said that it had changed property in three main ways.
Firstly and axiomatically where we worked. Secondly, it “untethered” workers from daily commutes and urban cores. Thirdly, the way we shop – online.
Covid really was the main driver of the explosion of the gig economy, and that change is now anchored in our daily existence – Uber Eats anyone?
Accordingly, property values in different classes of property have changed – office, residential and retail. This is now very apparent in the listed property sector, which has suffered serious decrement this calendar year.
Leaders in the A Grade Property Tower market are quickly trying to design or redesign buildings to include pre- and post-work activities for occupants as way of attracting and maintaining high-end tenants in CBDs. Good old economic equilibrium, what goes around comes around.
Put simply, where and how we work is driving economic and societal change like never before, and it’s crept up on us, unremarked.
Strike up a conversation over coffee, at the gym, or in a wine bar with friends and strangers to tap into how all pervasive this silent revolution has become.
