According to the study, while working from a flexible location has a significant impact on knowledge workers’ ability to manage stress and maintain a healthy work-life balance, schedule flexibility has an even more dramatic impact.

Interestingly, only 20 per cent of employees surveyed say they see the office as a place for focused, solo work. Instead, more than 80 per cent of knowledge workers say they want access to an office mainly for in-person collaboration and team building.

While the last year has been challenging, the Future Forum Pulse study did point to a few bright spots, with a solid 64 per cent of global knowledge workers indicating they were satisfied with their work-life balance, while 76 per cent felt their productivity had improved and nearly three quarters also suggesting they were more focused.

There are even greater potential benefits for working parents, particularly working mothers, who are more likely to need flexibility for caregiving, not just better work-life balance.

However, it’s important that organisations positively encourage flexibility for all employees to avoid accidentally reinforcing stereotypes and contributing to the motherhood penalty. If done equitably, it affords the flexibility that working mothers need without the assumption that it is mothers who will take on a bigger burden in home life while also balancing their jobs. Putting in place policies, and fostering a culture that encourages a balance in responsibilities between parents will also help to reduce the load on working mums, and ensure they are not unfairly impacted in their career trajectory.

Meanwhile, companies that are making the required investments in new digital infrastructure are seeing dramatic productivity increases among employees, as well as a sense of belonging among staff. “In our research, of the people who worked at companies that were early adopters of technology, 68 per cent were satisfied with their access to the people and information they need to do their jobs, 70 per cent said they were better able to focus and 57 per cent said they were more productive,” says Elliott.

“Also, their employees are more than five times more likely to feel good about their ability to manage stress and anxiety.”

The restrictions placed on social, community and religious organisations as a result of the pandemic has caused a spike in stress levels, but a lot of employers have invested heavily in trying to create more balance for employees through increased mental health resources, for example.

Trust on the rise

Interestingly, this ability to step-up by employers is probably best reflected in the latest update to the 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer, which showed a record 11 per cent increase in trust of business locally. In fact, employers are now seen as one of the most trusted institutions in Australia, with 78 per cent trusting their employer over business generally.

Among respondents in Australia, employer attributes, including keeping workers safe, regular employee communications, job skills and training programs, and offering a diverse representative workforce saw increases in importance in the past year.

Yet, according to the Future Forum Pulse data coming out of Australia - a market quicker than others included in the survey in its “return to the office” - it is also the only market where there has been consistent drops in sentiment, with the study revealing a slight decline in work-life balance and productivity, and a sharp decline in the ability to manage stress and anxiety.

“It’s a timely reminder, perhaps, of the importance of responding to the needs of our employees for the longer term, rather than a short-term fix or a return-to-normal mindset,” says Elliott.

As organisations consider what a hybrid work model might look like, we are currently living in an environment where there are plenty of mixed messages.

For example, Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman recently said he would take a “dim view” of those who did not work primarily in the office from early September. Another major bank, Goldman Sachs, is already requiring staff to return to its New York headquarters.

While some employers are trying to dragoon people back into the office, this is a message at odds with the desires of employees who “having spent the last year proving they can be productive under trying circumstances are not willing to give up the benefits of flexibility.” Elliott says.

“While no one knows what the future looks like, the work model organisations choose to implement should be one that attracts and engages talent, powered by technology, that contributes positively to employee experience and wellbeing. If they don’t, then they will lose out to their competitors who do,” he says.

Future fit

Elliott says corporate leaders must endeavour to strike the right balance when planning for the future in “offering employees the choice they’re now demanding, while also taking responsibility in providing the appropriate guardrails to make it work”.

“It’s no longer a case of an employee proving they’re the right fit for a company; it’s up to the company to put their best foot forward and show that they’re the right place to work.”

And to do that they have to tangibly prove “how employee experience is an important business imperative”.

For Elliott, if employers work on creating the right structure and environment for employees, good workplace culture will follow. They will attract the right type of employees who will begin to build the right culture organically.

Importantly, employing the right people can improve the overall work culture for all employees, he concludes “the market will decide, but companies who provide flexibility, invest in inclusive work cultures and infrastructure that connects people will attract and engage top talent -- and be the next generation of winners”.

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