41% of Australians seek workplace flexibility

LifeWorks, a digital and in-person total wellbeing solutions provider released its monthly Mental Health Index which revealed a negative mental health score among Australians for the 21st consecutive month. The overall mental health score for December last year was -11.3 compared to the pre-pandemic benchmark, which is an improvement from the previous month where it was -12.2. 

It has been found that 41% of Australians want the option of full flexibility in terms of days, hours and location while 19% prefer fully on-site work and 10% fully remote. 28% of respondents reported that the most important type of flexibility is having the ability to step away from work to attend to personal issues. 26% of individuals believe that location in terms of flexibility is most significant, 25% stress on work hours and 20% on days of work with only 1% agreeing to work attire. 

In terms of statistics surrounding the CEO's concerns for employee wellbeing, 58% believe that they do care and this group has a mental health score of -5.8, more than five points above the national average. In contrast, 19% do not believe that their organisation’s CEO genuinely cares about employee wellbeing and this group has a mental health score of -22.3, eleven points below the national average. 23% of individuals are undecided on their CEO’s position on wellbeing. Managers are more than 30% more likely than non-managers to believe that their organisation’s CEO genuinely cares about employee wellbeing.

“Employee wellbeing support has traditionally been thought of as a human resources responsibility, however, our data shows that support must be consistent across all departments and management levels for employees to feel valued. Wellbeing needs to be approached from a holistic perspective and be inclusive of employees’ physical, mental, financial and social needs. Incorporating this into organisational culture will ensure employees are receiving the tools, resources, and support they need at an individual level and genuinely feel appreciated by their employer,” emphasises Paula Allen, Global Leader and Senior VP, Research and Total Wellbeing, LifeWorks.