Recording highlights Kiwi’s attitude towards flexible work

According to a new survey, only one in four New Zealanders are comfortable with “loudly leaving” during regular business hours to meet family and other obligations, while one in five say they must still leave the office with discretion.

Westpac NZ’s 1,000-person survey, conducted by Colmar Brunton, asked workers about their employers’ attitudes towards flexible work schedules.

Although nearly two-thirds of respondents said that their workplace had a flexible work policy, only 24% thought they could leave the place out loud. This figure increases to 30% among workers whose employers have a flexible work policy.

Gina Dellabarca

Gina Dellabarca, General Manager of Human Resources and General Affairs of Westpac New Zealand, said the results show that most people still feel uncomfortable with “assuming” their decision to leave the office during normal hours of work.

“We believe that employees who want to pick up their children from school or attend an appointment, for example, should feel comfortable doing so without feeling the need to justify themselves,” she says.

Westpac supports a Leave Loudly policy as part of its commitment to flexibility in the workplace.

“We want our workers to leave loudly and proudly, without fear of judgment on the part of their colleagues, but these results suggest that employers have work to do to change people’s attitudes towards flexibility.” said Ms. Dellabarca.

The survey revealed that a majority of people currently employed (55%) do not feel comfortable going out loud or running away hoping no one will notice.

Workers born in New Zealand (26%) feel more comfortable than migrants (21%), while men feel less need to sneak out (18%) than their female counterparts (23%) .

Workers under 35 years of age (28%) are much more likely to slip away than those over 55 (10%).

“This suggests that people under 35 want more flexibility, but do not feel comfortable with the perception of others,” said Ms. Dellabarca.

Although Westpac strives to be a leader in workplace flexibility, Ms. Dellabarca recognizes that there is always room for improvement.

“We realize that some parts of our business are not as flexible as we would like, and that’s something we continue to work on,” she says.

“We also recognize that flexibility can be more difficult in certain roles. However, with modern technology, it has never been easier to work from home or out of the office.

“It’s not just about providing a policy of flexibility, it’s the tone given by senior executives or business owners, it’s about speaking up and making sure you measure progress accomplished. ”

“Our flexible work policy really motivated the retention and commitment of the staff. Productivity has not suffered from more open and flexible work policies, and it has not prevented the salary and career progression of our staff.

“The workforce is becoming increasingly diverse and flexible, and employers will have to respond to these changing attitudes if they are to attract the best people to their business.”

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