Out of office, in work: new trend of flexibility
By Sana Mazloum | theage.com.au | 09 May
Nearly a quarter of employees do some of their job away from the workplace.
James Marburg is very adaptable when it comes to work.
A rare break in training for the Olympic silver medallist rower gives him a chance to pull out his laptop computer and squeeze in a few hours' work in a boat shed, in lieu of a city office.
Mr Marburg works for ANZ Bank as a communications adviser. He reflects the new, flexible Australian workforce.
Figures from the Bureau of Statistics show nearly a quarter of Australian workers do some of their work each week away from the office.
Nearly 2.5million Australian employees take work home, fit it into weekends, or in Mr Marburg's case, squeeze it in around training for the London Olympics.
More than a third said the need to "catch up" was the reason they brought work home, while 22per cent said having an office at home with no rent or overheads was the reason to eschew the water cooler conversations and communal fridge.
Men in managerial positions were most likely to work from home (31per cent), followed by technicians and tradesmen (18per cent), while women working from home were most likely to be professionals (39per cent) or clerical and administrative workers (23per cent).
Eight per cent, or one in 12 Australian workers, work more from home than any other place. The majority (83per cent) of those were aged 35 years or older, and most (55per cent) were women.
Mr Marburg, who won silver in the coxless fours at the Beijing Olympics, said that without a flexible arrangement - he works 20 hours a week at ANZ - he could not pursue both his job and his sport.
"You're asking me to choose between my passion, which is rowing, and work. To sleep at night I have to go with my passion, rowing, so this flexibility is very important."
With some understanding from authorities on both sides, he is able to fit in both.
"I would take my laptop down to the boat sheds. We would have an hour's break from my first morning session and my second morning session and I could open my laptop. Having that flexibilityworks for everyone.
"I think there is a trend towards flexible working. Obviously technology is allowing it in many cases, but also I think people are a lot more savvy, and organisations are a lot more savvy - they are willing to create a good environment for people to work in."
Kate Hobson, communications manager at AXA, has worked at home while recovering from broken bones in both her feet.
She spent six months "not being able to get out of the house" but now splits her time between the city and home.
"They definitely have been very flexible in saying, 'Choose whichever days you think you need to be at home.' And that varies from week to week. I might find I can do a couple of days, and then I need a day to put my feet up and have a rest day."
Technology has been critical in making it possible for Ms Hobson to do her job away from the office.
"They set me up with a laptop, with wireless ... so I'm all set up to work from home."
First published by TheAge.com.au on May 09 2009
Visit theage.com.au for the latest news updated throughout the day
