New findings come as NSW government orders employees back to workplaces
More Australian employers and employees believe that they are more productive by working from home as recent government orders seek to bring them back to workplaces.
The Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies carried out a survey this year that showed employees believing they were a little more productive (21.4%) and a lot more productive (20.3%) while working from home.
The total percentage is close to the 43.1% of employees who believe their productivity remained "about the same" under WFH, and much higher than those who believe they were a little less productive (11.9%) and a lot less productive (2.9%).
From the employers' perspective, more of them also believe that WFH made employees a little more productive (18.5%) and a lot more productive (18.5%).
Only 14.6% believe employees were a little less productive and 3.9% believe they were a lot less productive, according to the survey, as published on The Conversation.
Reduced commute helps with productivity
Why? One reason is that employees are using almost one-third of the time saved from commuting by working from home to do additional unpaid work.
They are also doing household tasks (24%) and leisure at home (20%), while others said they are doing additional paid work from home in their main job (8%).
The findings were unveiled by David Hensher AM, director of Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies, after the New South Wales government ordered its public servants back into office.
NSW Premier Chris Minns cited less productivity at home when introducing the instruction to employees.
"Having examined the impacts of working from home since the pandemic started, I am not convinced," Hensher said in an article for The Conversation.
According to the director, it is important to consider these findings in assessments of productivity.
"It would be unfortunate if the biggest effect of the return-to-the-office mandate was to make workers less generous with their time," he said.
