Atlassian Corporation Plc (NASDAQ:TEAM), a leading provider of team collaboration and productivity software, today announced the launch of a global study into distributed working. The report, titled, Reworking Work: Understanding The Rise of Work Anywhere, was conducted by Australian research agency PaperGiant and surveyed more than 5,000 participants in Australia, France, Germany, Japan and the US using observational, qualitative and ethnographic research methodologies. 

It shows how the nuances of modern work have been amplified, demanding a shift in the way organisations manage an increasingly distributed workforce. People have had to balance dramatic changes in personal and professional lives, juggling more than ever in order to be successful. The transition has been complex at times and for many this new reality still brings many unknowns. Globally, 33 per cent suggested their uncertainty that this new work style preference will be supported by their organisation and a further 42 per cent suggested their new remote work reality brought with it longer hours. 

This is echoed by an Australian workforce still getting a grip on WFH. Of the Australians surveyed, 77 per cent noted they spend much more time coordinating with others via email, SMS and other messaging platforms. Over half (66 per cent) are also spending more time reporting to clients and managers. Additionally, 69 per cent noted they were feeling a little lost without their general work routines of getting dressed and commuting, highlighting the general ambivalence of our new working realities. 

Despite this, Aussie optimism continues to shine through when compared to other global markets showing we’re an adaptable bunch. Where many people have struggled with the blurring of personal and professional life, Australians have thrived in the new modern work environment. 

68 per cent reported feeling increased job satisfaction as a result of remote work with three in four noting they were annoyed that it took a pandemic for them to be able to work mostly from home. A key reason for this could be the fact that 80 per cent of Australian employees feel closer than ever before with their teams. 

The Aussie cheerfulness extends to management as well. Of the Australians surveyed, 73 per cent agreed that the pandemic improved their personal satisfaction with their company’s leadership.

“We’ve been seeing a shift to a more distributed way of work for some time, and many businesses understood that giving staff more flexibility over how and where they work would pay dividends in the long run. What we didn’t envisage was how a pandemic was going to throw accelerant on these plans,” said Dom Price, work futurist at Atlassian. 
“While we may know how to excel at teamwork in the workplace, the workplace as we know it has fundamentally changed. People everywhere are working under new and constantly shifting unique contexts which means the future of work is much more nuanced than it had been before. This requires leaders to develop a different type of empathy and fundamentally rethink what they thought they knew about their employees’ preferences around work.

The best way to tackle the challenges we face is to get much more comfortable in the uncertain, the unplanned and the ever changing. Now is our opportunity to use the challenges we have been presented with to adapt for the better, guided by deep insights from real-world experiences of employees around the world.”

It’s Complicated 

The research identified three key factors influencing people’s ability to adapt to distributed styles of work. These are household complexity, role complexity and network quality. The complexity or quality of each directly correlates to how people are coping with pandemic working conditions. 

Household complexity considers domestic responsibilities and how many people are in their household. Caregivers were less likely (49 per cent) to agree that effective working from home was easy than those without children (56 per cent). Many people felt unable to bring their best self to their home or work identities, with 51 per cent saying it’s more difficult to maintain boundaries between work and personal lives.

Role complexity examines the remote readiness of specific roles. It explores the full spectrum of workflow and social interaction someone depends on to be successful. The research found that the remote working environment has left many yearning for workplace banter. Three in four (77 per cent) Aussies missed the energy of their workplace, which is significantly higher than the 50 per cent of global workers longing for water cooler conversations. 

Network quality focuses on access to personal and professional networks, which contribute to our sense of belonging and support. Additionally, almost two in three (64 per cent) Aussies felt their company would need to provide better systems and tools to sustain a fully distributed working environment.

What in the World 

Globally, the research unearthed fascinating insights into the unique impact of COVID-19 on France, Germany, Japan and the US. Although lower than Australia’s sentiment, the appreciation of work-life balance is shared by almost half (44 per cent) of German counterparts as well, who reported better satisfaction with their work-life balance as a result of remote working. Additionally, the mass migration to our home offices has seen three quarters (74 per cent) of American workers better appreciate the quality of life outside of their workplace. 

Teamwork also continues to thrive in this new distributed environment. Nearly half (40 per cent) of respondents in Germany felt their teams worked better remotely and an impressive 61 per cent of French respondents reported a strong feeling of unity and cohesion with their team as a result of the pandemic and proceeding lockdown. 

However, the lived experiences of modern workers are not uniform. Almost half (44 per cent) of Japanese respondents felt working from home was more difficult and only 17 per cent felt their team worked better together. And whilst Japanese workers were keen to return to the office, Americans weren’t as comfortable with this idea, as 68 per cent noted they were nervous about returning to the office while no vaccine exists and restrictions are still in place. 

“If you’ve ever said your people are your biggest asset, now is the time to act upon that,” says Dominic Price, work futurist at Atlassian. 

“We’ve heard many positions on the future of distributed work, but the reality is that one size won’t fit all situations. This research underscores just how nuanced the future of work is, it’s not about a company going fully remote or hitting some specific flexibility target. These are the voices of real people facing real complexities. There’s no silver bullet for the future of work, but there is now a blueprint.” 

The report follows the recent announcement of TEAM Anywhere, an initiative allowing all Atlassian employees to work from wherever they choose. To support the future of work detailed in the research, Atlassian is giving all employees the choice to work from any combination of home, the office and other locations where they feel productive.

Download the full report now for more details. Further commentary on the research and its implications are available on Atlassian’s WorkLife Blog as well as the Atlassian Team Playbook.  

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