Does Hybrid Work Enhance Productivity?

Employers and employees in Australian tend to disagree on the answer, according to research from Robert Half.

By Maggie Mancini

Employees believe in Australia believe the hybrid work arrangement has the most positive impact on enhancing their productivity but employers are not so sure, new research by Robert Half finds. Business leaders have taken measures to improve productivity, with 39% mandating in-office days for this reason and another 40% planning to do so in 2025.  

However, most employers understand that boosting productivity can impact employee well-being. Most (86%) businesses say it is a challenge to provide work-life balance to employees while boosting productivity.  

When asked to outline the impacts on productivity of different ways of working, only 5% of employees stated it does not matter where or when they work, as they do not believe it would impact their productivity. 

Workers believe working at home has the greatest positive impact on their productivity levels, whether that is for some or all of their workweek. Similarly, working from the office full time was reported as having the highest negative impact on productivity of all ways of working (53%). 

Employers have introduced a range of measures to improve productivity, including ways to improve workforce capacity, workflows as well as work settings. These include: 

• training or professional development opportunities (50%); 
• communication and feedback processes (49%); 
• workflow management (48%); 
• automation and digital transformation (43%); 
• hiring contract workers (41%); and 
• mandating in-office days (39%). 

Despite taking steps to tackle productivity levels, an overwhelming majority (86%) of employers say it is challenging to improve productivity while ensuring their employees have work-life balance. Only 1% of employers stated they do not find it at all challenging to boost productivity while ensuring employee well-being.