Vast majority of New Zealanders don’t want to return to office after Covid-19

A study of New Zealanders working from home during coronavirus lockdown has found many were just as productive as when they were in the office, and a majority were reluctant to return to traditional workplaces.

New Zealand went into lockdown for seven weeks from 25 March, and has become a global success story in containing the coronavirus, with fewer than 1,500 people infected and 21 deaths.

During lockdown, many workers experimented with working from home for the first time, and a University of Otago study of more than 2,500 people found the arrangement suited many.

According to the study 73% of people were “equally or more productive” when working from home, and 89% wanted to continue post-lockdown, at least part-time.

Despite 38% of respondents never having worked from home before, 66% of people found it “easy or somewhat easy” to adapt, with 82% saying they felt they had the right resources to do their job, although only 17% had all of those resources provided by their employer.

Read more via The Guardian/ University of Otago