Yahoo Finance Expert rejects claims of end to working from home
Working from home may soon be coming to an end, if Aussie CEOs are to be believed.
After Aussie CEOs revealed when they expect working from home will come to a permanent end, one of the nation's leading business experts has hit back, saying the "interesting prediction" is not one he thinks "will come true".
Work from home has become the new normal for millions around the country since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. But the days of rolling out of bed onto your laptop may soon be in the past, after nearly two-thirds of bosses from around the country said they thought workers would return to the office five days a week within the next three years.
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A global survey of 1,325 CEOs, including 50 from Australia, found only a minority believed traditional white-collar roles would remain hybrid or fully remote. The report, conducted by KPMG, also found the vast majority of bosses - 89 per cent globally and 75 per cent for Australia - said they would actually reward employees who made the effort to come in.
Aussie expert rebukes study's claims
But according to John Hopkins, associate professor of Supply Chain Management for Swinburne's School of Business, those rewards may not be necessary, and he expects working from home will remain on the cards for some time yet.
“It’s an interesting prediction, but not one I think will come true," Hopkins said.
"Office occupancy trends around the world certainly don’t suggest a full-scale return to offices will happen anytime soon."
Hopkins went on to explain that, for many people, including the millions of Australians working from home multiple days a week, the arrangement wais just too convenient and, according to the data, too beneficial to give up.
"I think hybrid work arrangements are here to stay. As a compromise solution, it works well; employers still get to see their employees in the office, while employees get to retain some of that flexibility they’ve gained since the pandemic," Hopkins said.
In fact, Hopkins predicts that, moving forward, there may even be more remote-work options.
"Looking longer term, as technologies improve and more young people enter the workforce, I think even more work tasks will be conducted remotely," he said.
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