An increase in people being able to work from home may not automatically be good for increasing equity between men and women, research has revealed.
A study by NZIER commissioned by ASB has revealed that the flexibility of remote working is a double-edged sword as it can also blur the lines between work and home life.
"With women still taking on responsibility for the bulk of domestic chores, the risk is that the current trend will disadvantage women both at work and in the home," research by Christina Leung and Sarah Hogan found.
They conducted a survey of working Kiwis to better understand their experience of working from home both during the Covid-19 pandemic and outside of it.
Both sexes had an overall positive experience of WFH during lockdowns, pointing to a better work/life balance by avoiding long commutes.
"This is in line with research showing reduced commuting can significantly benefit
workers, particularly those who work in major urban centres."
But women were most likely to report that they did most or all of the childcare and home-schooling during Covid-19 lockdowns.
Women were also significantly less likely than men to report having the ideal equipment and space to work in.
When choosing where to work, men were more likely to be motivated by the need to be seen in the workplace or the need to be seen as adaptable - aspects which may make them fit the ideal worker model.
Women were more likely than men to say professional and social connections motivated them to be physically present and work-life balance motivated working from home.
"Respondents agreed that the major challenge of working from home was the ability to
connect with colleagues."
The research also found women in management roles were less likely than male counterparts to express a preference for their staff to be physically present in the workplace - indicating women in management roles have a higher level of confidence in managing remote workers.
But women were also more likely to find it harder to justify taking sick leave when working from home, thus increasing their risk of burnout.
The report recommended that employers take action to ensure remote working improved both productivity and equity by managers being offered training and support to increase their confidence in managing remote working.
They also urged employers to take steps to break down the ideal working culture by encouraging all employees to adopt at least hybrid working where possible and praising those who do.
"Managers may need to model working from home explicitly to achieve a better work-life balance to indicate to workers that this is an important goal for a healthy, productive workplace."
Employers should also ensure meetings and important discussions never exclude remote workers, avoid giving solo projects to remote workers, actively support new employees to form connections and organise online social events.
"Employers seek to ensure remote workers can work as effectively and comfortably at
home as they can in the workplace, including providing the appropriate equipment and
ensuring staff have the same connectivity and IT support at home as at work."
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ASB chief executive Vittoria Shortt said flexible working was a vital part of creating a compelling proposition for its people.
"But it also comes with challenges that need to be better understood so that these options are genuinely creating benefits for everyone."
Shortt said leaders needed to be clearer on what they need from their people with respect to remote and on-site working and encourage active management of work-life boundaries.
"Just because a day is not bookended by a commute to and from work or having a laptop at home does not mean the work day starts at 6am and finishes whenever the last person logs off. Maintaining work-life separation is so critical for our wellbeing."
Shortt said there were many benefits to working from home, and when done well it was a win-win situation.
"However, we need to ensure we are doing all we can to avoid the downsides that can come with this."
