48% of Kiwi workers would consider quitting if they were told to return to the office
The official cash rate increased earlier this week, interest rates are the highest they’ve been in a long time, fuel, rent, and utilities are increasing steeply upwards, and our grocery prices are amongst the highest in the OECD. So it’s not surprising that 62% of Kiwi workers are feeling stressed about their finances, according to new research from Employment Hero.
The Remote Work Report released earlier this week revealed that 82% of Kiwi workers said working remotely at least some of the time is better for reducing cost of living. One survey respondent said, “I work in the Auckland CBD and for me to get to work I sit in an hour of traffic each way and pay over $20 for parking all day. I’d prefer to work from home to save time and money.”
Read more: Get back to work! Can employers insist on an in-office return?
With so many factors influencing the economy, how does remote working and the impact of finances actually stack up? Not surprisingly, the desire for remote or hybrid working is strong among Kiwi workers looking to save money. When asked what’s better for reducing the cost of living, 49% of people said remote work, 33% said hybrid working – and when remote workers were asked what they missed least about going to the office respondents cited the extra expense of food, coffee, and transport.
Kiwi workers’ desire for remote or hybrid setups is so strong that almost half (48%) of workers said they would consider quitting if they were forced back to the office. So, there is an intrinsic link between remote or flexible working and alleviating worker anxiety around finances – but is it really an employer’s obligation?
“Yes,” said Employment Hero’s chief people officer, Alex Hattingh. “Employers should care holistically about their employees.”
Despite the growing desire from employees to have more flexible work options, 39% of Kiwi workers surveyed have been given directives from employers to return to the office. Hattingh has a message for those leaders: “Get on the bus or you will lose your talent.”
Read more: Employees forced back to the office twice as likely to quit than those with choice
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“If you’re going to force your people back to the office because you believe that watching them or seeing them makes them more productive you need to listen to your employees,” she said. “If you’re an employer that is questioning this data, take our questions and survey your own employees.”
One survey respondent said, “I could do most of my work remotely and found I was more productive working from home with no distractions. Get on the bus and you’ll find employees are more engaged and more productive. Give your employees the trust that they’re going to have the output and measures in place like objectives and key results, whereby what people are working on is transparent across the company.”
Among other growing desires from Kiwi workers are utility and grocery subsidies, something that Hattingh said had started happening in Australia, but she had seen no evidence of in New Zealand so far.