Why are younger workers 'more reluctant' to return to the office?

Young workers in Australia appear to have accustomed themselves to the work-from-home setting as new research shows they’re more reluctant than their older colleagues to return to the workplace full-time. According to the report People at Work 2022: A Global Workforce View,  among the surveyed workers in Australia from the age bracket of 18 to 24 years old and 25 to 34 years old, 54% and 65%, respectively, showed that they would think about looking for another job if their employers insisted on them returning to the workplace full-time. 

“This is compared to 46% of the 45–54 age bracket and 27% of the 55 and over demographic,” the National Safety Council of Australia (NSCA) Foundation said.

Key findings from the report

The survey, published by the Automatic Data Processing (ADP) Research Institute, showed that younger workers shifted their prospects for the future of the workplace, including a significant move to a flexible working set-up.

Among the contributing factors that weaken the need for full-time office work included travel time and surging travel costs, according to NSCA.

The foundation also noted that the strong resistance from the 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 age bracket was mainly due to their experience of office work before the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing them to compare on-site and work-from-home arrangements better.

“As a result, these cohorts are looking for a combination of the ability to work remotely while having team days and cross-functional collaboration, and development opportunities in the office,” NSCA said.

What does this mean for employers?

Following the survey results, NSCA noted that the shift in workers’ outlook toward their work habits would likely remain in the long term.

ADP Managing Director Kylie Baullo explained that because remote and flexible work has become an expectation for many Australian workers, there is already a notion that returning to in-person work full-time would be overwhelming for workers, especially the younger generations.

Baullo further noted that while remote set-up was a must during the peak of COVID-19, businesses should closely assess and determine the changing needs of the workers, which means taking into account not only where employees prefer to work but also how they can work efficiently.

“As businesses review how and where work will be done in the future, it is vital to collaborate with their employees,” Baullo said, according to NSCA.

“Face-to-face sessions between leaders and employees are helpful to ensure the different needs of generations and other individual scenarios are considered and planned for,” she added.

While the decision to return to on-site work is still up for businesses, the ADP managing director said that the physical office space is a “must consideration” now more than ever.

“To ensure career opportunities are not missed, businesses will need to consider how to entice staff to work in person, as well as provide a balanced workplace by also meeting the needs and wants of staff through flexible options,” Baullo said.