Australians want to come back to the office, but not every day, according to a survey.
The ideal working week is three days in the office and two days remote, according to the Worker Barometer survey by Jones Lang LaSalle issued on Thursday.
Two-thirds want a hybrid model so they can work between the office, home or another location such as a park or cafe.
Some 68 per cent rated work-life balance as the top priority (compared to the global average of 59 per cent), and ahead of salary (60 per cent versus 55 per cent elsewhere).
Australians were less likely than the rest of the world to want to work remotely full time (13 per cent for Australia compared to 21 per cent globally) and 90 per cent want to maintain flexible working hours.
"What we're seeing here in Australia is that whilst office workers continue to value flexible working arrangements, the office still has a major role to play," JLL spokesman Ben Tindale said.
Working from home is also taking its toll on morale and mental health.
This has clear implications for companies, which need to engage with those physically in the office as well as people out of sight, Mr Tindale said.
To attract and retain workers, organisations need to design their offices to match the new post-lockdown expectations.
Workers also want health and wellness programs, sustainability as a core value of a workplace, access to training, and diversity and inclusion programs that attract them to join or stay with an employer.
