The introduction of a high-speed broadband network and a shift in employee attitudes towards working remotely will undoubtedly benefit regional areas in terms of increased job opportunities. This was the outlook from Cisco’s “The Changing Nature of Work” debate last week.
Speaking at the event, Senator Kate Lundy, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, explained that the growing flexibility of working locations and advancements in technology and infrastructure would present a ‘phenomenal opportunity’ for those not living in metropolitan areas.
“People will have choice in this country about where they work, and how productive that work can be, like no other country. The change would set Australia up to be a fascinating test bed for change in work practice across the world, and lead by example,” she said.
Jacob Murray-White, Head of Salmat@Home, said that geographic diversity and ‘working from home’ allows organisations to “to reach out to people all over Australia and therefore attract a really high quality of people who really want to work from home.”
He added, “it allows people to make a lifestyle choice about where they want to live and it allows them to work in what is essentially a very nice work environment at home doing a high white collar style job on their own terms – it means that we get some fantastic people who would have no other way of participating in this type of work force.”
As a precursor to the debate, Cisco conducted a survey "The Connected World" which questioned over 2600 workers from around the globe. The results revealed that two thirds of participants would rather have flexible working arrangements than a higher salary, while in Australia the figure was even higher at 73 per cent. However, 43 per cent of Australian employees believe that they needed to be physically ‘in the office’ to make decisions more effectively and efficiently, with nothing replacing daily ‘in-person’ interaction.
Fernanda Afonso, organisational development specialist for Freehills and national chair of the Australian Psychology Society, said that while a high proportion of employees would prefer more flexible working conditions, it is important to remember that we are social human beings and need to feel connected to a broader community in some kind way.
Interestingly the Cisco results suggest that the ability to work outside office hours, doesn't necessarly result in a shorter working week for employees, instead participants said that on avearge they worked an extra 2-3 hours per day, while 10 per cent said that they were always online and work through their waking hours.
Afonso said that the responsibility should lie with employees, who must set strict boundaries for a work/ life balance and communicate what is acceptable for them personally.
"Sometimes we do expect our managers to second guess what’s going on in our life, so I think it’s important for the individual to communicate that,” she advised.
To read the full article see the HR Leader: http://www.humanresourcesmagazine.com.au/articles/E8/0C06F6E8.asp
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To find out more contact Mitrefinch Sales on 1300 884 831 or sales@mitrefinch.com.au
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