Three quarters of Aussie workers are considering moving interstate or overseas

By Jon Bragg

March 24 2022
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More than two in five workers said they would be willing to leave their current employer in order to work remotely.

Australia’s changing employment landscape could be set for another shake-up in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic with 75 per cent of workers now thinking about moving interstate or overseas to work remotely.

Research commissioned by benefits and rewards platform Perkbox found that 41 per cent of these workers would be willing to quit their current job if they could then work remotely from a different state or country.

Aussie workers cited a range of reasons for why they were considering making a move including 27 per cent who raised concerns about the rising cost of living.

23 per cent of workers said they had a long-term ambition to work elsewhere and 22 per cent identified a desire to pursue a more nomadic lifestyle.

Of the business leaders surveyed, 76 per cent said they had seen an increase in the number of requests for international working from their employees.

While 83 per cent of leaders trusted their workers to remain productive from any location, 54 per cent of workers said they would pay closer attention to their remote colleagues to ensure they were being productive.

If their overseas colleagues were contributing less, 62 per cent of workers said they would raise the issue with the management while 54 per cent expect their fellow workers to keep the same hours wherever they are.

Calling for a “unifying culture across borders”, Perkbox CEO Gautam Sahgal said that businesses must set expectations and create a consistent experience for workers regardless of where they are based.

“In the context of the great reshuffle, this is now well beyond a nice-to-have,” he said.

“As competition for top talent continues to tighten, and geographical limitations keep diminishing, organisations with a harmonised culture across borders will be in a supremely advantageous position.”

In order for all employees to feel equally informed, supported and appreciated, Perkbox suggested that employers must provide equal access to guidance, benefits and rewards.

“It's also crucial to empower managers to reward and recognise team members in any country, even if they're the only team member based in a certain location, so that all can feel equally seen and connected to their organisation whilst enabling values to be upheld globally,” said Mr Sahgal.

“Employers shouldn't forget the power of employees feeling seen and heard by fellow employees either. Enabling peer-to-peer recognition will help strengthen culture and mitigate tensions that may arise from remote working.”

More than half of Aussie workers have made a change to their employment arrangements in the past two years according to a recent survey.

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