For many office workers, it’s back to the grind. But it’s not exactly back to the office. And it probably won’t be.

We’re coming up on two years since COVID-19 forced a work-from-home revolution as governments asked people to stay away from public spaces to slow the spread of the disease.

Even when outbreaks waned – and in states and territories that have barely required restrictions and lockdowns – workers have largely declined to return to office desks full-time.

Companies may want to force their workforce back into a 2019 straight-jacket model of 9-to-5, Monday to Friday, at the desk.

But with extreme labour pressure on employers – making it essentially a seller’s market for people interested in a new job – it’s not going to happen.

Welcome to #WFH forever. Kind of.

Not for everyone

From baristas to horse trainers, childcare workers to masseuses, most Australians work in fields that will require them to turn up, not just log in.

If you’re one of the millions of ‘frontline’ workers who need to physically be at your workplace to do your job, your life probably isn’t going to change much.

For that vast majority, the only change they’ll likely see is busier suburban cafes, more people ploughing the walking track at lunchtime and insane urban congestion as people stay close to where they started the day.

But around 35 per cent of jobs do have aspects that allow them to be done at home, according to a report by the Productivity Commission, the government’s think tank. The kinds of jobs tend to be better-paid and more likely to be full-time, the workers tend to be female.

… But five days a week, 9AM-5PM?

That’s like 2019. Gone.

Source
Daniel Ziffer
ABC News