The Victorian Chamber’s survey series asks businesses about their experiences with staff returning to the office to give a greater understanding on employees’ working arrangements and how they are impacting the CBD.

It’s the second detailed survey on return to office conducted by the Victorian Chamber in 2022 following a benchmark survey in June.

The survey canvassed a number of small, medium and large CBD based businesses across a range of sectors since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

Trends highlight a 12 per cent increase in employees working three to four days in the office, while those working remotely full-time has dropped by 5 per cent. Key factors for the uptick includes increased collaboration and events opportunities.

While businesses are also increasingly mandating minimum numbers of days in the office, most employers do not expect employees to return full-time to the office, highlighting an ongoing flexibility and work-life balance.

Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chief Executive Paul Guerra said: “This is the second, point-in-time, detailed survey of CBD-based businesses the Chamber has conducted this year and it clearly shows more people are spending more time back in the office.

“As well as the lifting of restrictions, employees are saying they are returning to the office because of the opportunity to reconnect with people including collaborating with colleagues, networking, events and dining.

“Being in the office means they can work face to face with their teams, share ideas, attend work events and enjoy everything else the CBD offers.

“This is good news for CBD businesses which benefit from increased office occupancy and foot traffic as the city continues to recover as we head into 2023.”

Key findings include:

Days in office

• 41 per cent of employees are working in the office three to four days per week, an increase of 12 per cent from the previous survey in June
• 33 per cent of employees are working in the office one to two days a week, a decrease of seven per cent from June
• 19 per cent of employees are working in the office five days a week, an increase of one per cent since June
• The number of people who are working no days a week in the office dropped from 12 per cent to seven per cent.

Broader findings

• 53 per cent of businesses have introduced a required minimum number of days that employees must work from the office, with 51 per cent enforcing three days per week and 26 per cent enforcing two days per week.

• 39 per cent of employees said the lifting of restrictions and the end of the pandemic encouraged them to return to the CBD.
• 61 per cent of employees nominated a range of other factors attracting them back to the CBD including warmer weather, collaborating with colleagues, networking, events and dining opportunities.
• The number of respondents who said work-life balance was the main reason for not returning to the office full-time has increased from 34 per cent in June to 43 per cent now, followed by length of commute (22 per cent) and costs of fuel and/or parking (8 per cent).
• 70 per cent of businesses do not expect employees to return full-time to the office.