When the pandemic lockdowns commenced in 2020, practitioners and academics alike heralded working from home as "the new normal".
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After examining working from home in the Australian Public Service for the last four years, we conclude that it has become business as usual.
Last year we spoke with over 80 APS managers and supervisors about how they managed hybrid workers. Hybrid working is where some part of the week is worked at home, and the remainder worked on the employer's premise.
We have found that while working from home has become "business as usual", ways of working and managing have not changed much in the APS. We were surprised by this finding.
As working from home became normalised in the wake of the pandemic, discussions turned to how work could be best undertaken at home and in the office to maximise employee productivity.
Practitioner literature has found that workers undertake different tasks depending on location. Tasks requiring deep concentration are being done at home, and more routine tasks are being done in the office. Academic researchers concur that working at home is more suited to individual-focused work, such as writing, rather than team-based work.
We asked managers about what types of tasks were being done at home, and in the office.
With the exception of customer-facing roles, very few stated that employees worked on different tasks depending on location. The majority said that there had not been a marked change in how and where tasks were completed.
As one said: "You just do what you need to do, and that's pretty much the same types of work, whether you're at home or in the office. So I think that's more idealised that you would do different stuff at home."
Our finding that location is not affecting the type of work done is important as it highlights that the shock of the pandemic was not enough to change the way people work.
Researchers have found that crises, such as a pandemic, may not be the time for reform and once the crisis passes, employees want stability - and business as usual.
While we found that a range of practices had not significantly changed, we have identified some changes (or business anew). One evident change is how teams are managed.
Some of the managers we spoke with practice "intentional management". This is a form of leadership whereby managers consciously and reflectively manage teams.
This process involves being mindful of time, location of work, and opportunities for team members to increase capability, and growth while optimising performance outcomes.
Some participants practised intentional management through very consciously "shouting out" team members' work in emails to more senior managers. Other examples include: a manager who brought her children to work events to role model flexibility; another sent flowers in lieu of coffee and lunches to celebrate the team's wins.
Intentional management was also evident through increased communication with staff to ensure employee wellbeing.
Wellbeing was also enhanced through increased workplace sociability, for example, by scheduling morning teas and team lunches on the days when employees were in the office.
This increased collegiality can also enhance trust amongst team members. Our research findings suggest that trust and autonomy have increased as a result of hybrid working.
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Employees working autonomously made decisions about when and how their work was completed.
As one manager explained: "for me the input and the output, that's the way I can control, and in the middle they can do whatever they want to".
This comment highlights another important finding whereby there has been a shift in focus, from measuring performance as based on time spent in the office, to a focus on outcomes.
Managers did not overly mind where employees undertook their work, as long as the outcomes were met. Here we reinforce practitioner research on autonomy and trust complementing an outcomes-focused approach.
While the location of work has changed to incorporate hybrid working, the shock of the pandemic was not enough to change the way many people work.
While this brings benefits,such as enabling business continuity, it also raises questions around whether opportunities are being fully utilised.
The APS could further consider the opportunities associated with tailoring work to different locations.
For example, teams might come together in the office to work on projects, with individual work undertaken at home; client-facing work could be rotated to those working in the office, enabling hybrid working.
Most importantly, however, agencies and teams may benefit from experimenting, and adopting a "test and learn" approach to determine optimal working arrangements and workspaces.
We are aware that the APS is focused on identifying lessons arising from working through the pandemic and is actively examining the future of work.
The new world of work provides opportunities to experiment with how work is done in various locations, and the best ways to undertake work for enhanced performance to benefit individuals, teams, and organisations.
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