Main reasons Australians worked from home 2024

As of August 2024, flexible working arrangements was one of the main reasons that Australians worked from home. Around six percent of Australian indicated childcare or family considerations as their main reason for working from home in the same year. 

Impact of COVID-19 

Among workers who can work from home, 62 percent of the respondents expressed concern about going to the office and contracting COVID-19 at work in Australia in 2022. In contrast, 53 percent of respondents expressed concern about having access to Rapid Antigen Tests (RATs). Furthermore, the source claims that younger workers are far more likely to be concerned about COVID-19-related issues.

 Employee burnout and flexible work experiences 

Many employees experienced burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. Burnout is a state of physical or emotional exhaustion accompanied by a sense of diminished accomplishment and loss of personal identity. Respondents who began working from home after COVID-19, as well as those who returned to their workplace after working from home, were the most likely in Australia to report feeling burnout occasionally or frequently. Those who travel for work were the most likely to report experiencing burnout infrequently.

In 2022, more than 86 percent of respondents indicated that their organization provides part-time work as a flexible working practice, while 54 percent indicated that their organization provides Flexitime work in Australia. In contrast, approximately five percent of respondents stated that their organization did not provide any flexible working arrangements.