ELMO Data Reveals Employee Attitudes Towards A Pressure To ‘Always Be Online’
- Three in five Australian managers feel pressure to keep in touch with direct reports more frequently when working from home
- Similarly, 63% of workers feel they need to be ‘always contactable’ when they work from home
- Only 36% of Aussie employees currently feel comfortable ignoring a call or email from work outside of hours
- That figure rises to 41% once the ‘right to disconnect’ comes into force on 26 August for non-small business employers
22 August, 2024 – The ELMO Employee Sentiment Index (ESI) report covering the quarter of April – June 2024 has revealed interesting findings on lack of trust when working remotely, as well as insightful employee attitudes towards the upcoming ‘Right to Disconnect’ legislation.
The report surveyed over 1,000 Australian workers on their perceptions of job security, wellbeing and the economy, as well as topical issues impacting Australian workers such as working from home and trust, access to mental health resources, and the upcoming ‘Right to Disconnect’ laws.
Managers are feeling the need to check in on direct reports working from home more frequently
The research points to a potential lack of trust from managers and their direct reports when working from home, with 61% of those surveyed saying they felt the need to check in with their direct reports more frequently when they’re working from home or remotely.
This pressure is also being felt by employees, with nearly two thirds (63%) feeling they ought to be ‘always contactable’ when they work from home or remotely.
The at-home versus in-office discussion continues to play out, with a quarter (25%) of Australian workers saying they feel completely trusted when working in the office/on premises, but only a fifth (21%) saying the same of working from home.
ELMO Software’s Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Lyons, says more needs to be done to ensure both managers and their direct reports can effectively manage the balance of a flexible working environment centred on trust and transparency.
“In the post-pandemic world, many businesses are striving to create a balanced flexible working policy that promotes face-to-face engagement with colleagues and peers in the workplace, while supporting flexibility. Despite this, our data reveals a trust gap between managers and their direct reports, particularly when they’re working from home.
Building trust is easier said than done and it must be an ongoing process that extends beyond the manager’s responsibility. It begins with providing role clarity and performance expectations, and equipping managers and employees with the right goal-setting and performance management tools and processes to focus on outcomes, rather than outputs.”
‘Right to disconnect’ legislation will not make employees significantly more comfortable ignoring out–of-hours work contact
The report also explored employees’ comfort levels with disconnecting from work outside of work hours, in the face of the upcoming Right to Disconnect legislation. Findings suggest only 36% of Australian employees currently feel comfortable ignoring contact from their work outside of hours. More surprisingly, once the ‘right to disconnect’ comes into force at the end of August, the number of workers who say they’ll feel comfortable ignoring their bosses’ out-of-hours contact rises marginally to 41%.
The work from home trend seems to perpetuate the tendency for employees to feel they should be contactable outside of working hours, with just under half (49%) feel they should be available after hours when they work from home or remotely.
Lyons says the results highlight legislation alone is not a silver bullet to combat an ‘always-on’ culture that remote working can perpetuate.
“Managers need to ensure working hours are being used efficiently and effectively, and take steps to promote the benefits of disconnecting from work after hours, which will ultimately improve both productivity and overall employee wellbeing.”
Media Enquiries
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About the ELMO Employee Sentiment Index
The ELMO Employee Sentiment Index offers an insight into the actions, attitudes, concerns, and behaviours of Australian workers. The report provides a quarterly analysis of the prevailing sentiment within the workforce to track changes in perceived job security and the employment landscape.
The research was commissioned by ELMO Software and conducted by Lonergan
Research in accordance with the ISO 20252 standard.
Lonergan Research surveyed 1,038 Australian workers aged 18 years and over between 26th June 2024 and 2nd July 2024.
The research was conducted via a 15-question online survey. Respondents were members of a permission-based panel, geographically dispersed throughout Australia including both capital city and non-capital city areas.
After surveying, data was weighted to the latest population estimates sourced from the
Australian Bureau of Statistics.
About ELMO Software
Founded in 2002, the ELMO Group comprises ELMO Software in Australia, New Zealand and the UK, and Breathe HR in the UK. It is the trusted provider of HR technology solutions to 16,000+ small and mid-sized organisations and two million end users.
With a comprehensive suite of ISO-certified solutions that span the full employee lifecycle, ELMO Software is designed to scale as organisations grow. Flexible and configurable, ELMO’s one-stop HRIS fits to your specific needs and workflows.
Through powerful technology, automation, data and analytics, ELMO Software empowers HR professionals to play an integral role in company decision making.
For more information, please visit www.elmosoftware.co.nz or follow ELMO Software on LinkedIn.