Money Research with Money Matchmaker®
Are employees unproductive when working remotely?
A Money.com.au Study February 2023
Last updated: 16 February 2023
About the study
Money.com.au surveyed 627 employees (either casual, part-time time or full-time) to gauge whether Australians on wages or salaries are productive when working remotely, and what distractions they encounter at home. The survey uncovered high rates of inactivity and disruption over the course of an Australian employee’s workday.
The pool of survey respondents matches the age and geographical spread of the Australian population.
Questions
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What proportion of Australians work from home or remotely?
Money.com.au asked 627 Australian employees if they work from home or remotely and how many days a week they do so. Nearly half (48 per cent) revealed they work remotely either some days or full-time. Specifically:
- 35% of respondents work remotely on some days
- 13% of respondents work remotely full-time
Half (52 per cent) of respondents indicated they don’t work remotely.
Do you work from home or remotely any days of the week?
Similar proportions of respondents across the age groups work remotely full-time or part-time. The results indicated that:
- 35% of under-50s work remotely on some days
- 34% of over-50s work remotely on some days
A similar, smaller proportion of respondents across the age groups adhere to a full-time remote working arrangement. Fourteen (14) per cent of under-30s indicated they work remotely full-time. This was followed by:
- 11% of over-50s who work remotely full-time
Do you work from home or remotely any days of the week? By age.
The survey found similar proportions of respondents across the major States and territories work from home or remotely full-time. Fifteen (15) per cent of Victorians say they work remotely full-time. This was followed by:
- 13% of NSW and WA respondents
- 12% of Queenslanders
- 11% of South Australians
More respondents from Victoria and NSW appear to have adopted a hybrid working arrangement, with 40 per cent and 39 per cent of those respondents, respectively, stating they work remotely some days of the week. This compares with:
- 34% of South Australians
- 29% of West Australians
- 28% of Queenslanders
Do Australians work from home or remotely any days of the week? By State.
| Response | NSW (%) | VIC (%) | QLD (%) | SA (%) | WA (%) | ACT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes, some days | 39 | 40 | 28 | 34 | 29 | 25 |
Yes, full time | 13 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 38 |
No | 48 | 45 | 60 | 55 | 58 | 37 |
Do Australians struggle with productivity when working from home or remotely?
Two-thirds (64 per cent) of the survey respondents who work from home or remotely at least one day per week indicated that less than 80 per cent of their workday is performed productively. Specifically:
- 22% of respondents work productively for 30-50% of the day
- 21% work productively 60-70% of the day
- 18% work productively less than 30% of the day
- 4% aren’t productive at all
Just one third (35 per cent) of respondents indicated that more than 80 per cent of their workday is spent working productively.
What percentage of your workday would you say is productive when you work from home or remotely?
Over-50s seem to be more disciplined and encounter fewer distractions. The survey found this age group is more likely to work productively when working remotely, with 57 per cent indicating that more than 80 per cent of their workday is spent working productively. This compares with:
- 38% of 31-50 year olds
- 19% of under-30s
In contrast, more under-30s (31 per cent) admit that they only work productively for 30 to 50 per cent of their workday. This compares with:
- 22% of 31-50 year olds
- 7% of over-50s
More under-30s (21 per cent) also admitted to working productively remotely for less than 30 per cent of their workday. This compares with:
- 17% of 31-50 year olds
- 14% of over-50s
What percentage of your workday would you say is productive when you work from home or remotely? By Age.
Across the States, a higher proportion of South Australians (71 per cent) spend less than 80 per cent of their day productively when working remotely. This compares with:
- 68% of NSW respondents
- 67% of Victorians
- 54% of West Australians
- 52% of Queenslanders
Respondents based in Queensland are most likely to work productively for less than 30 per cent of their day, when working remotely. This was indicated by 27 per cent of Queensland respondents, and compares with:
- 25% of Victorians
- 24% of South Australians
- 11% of NSW respondents
- 8% of West Australians
More South Australians (33 per cent) admitted to spending 30 to 50 per cent of their day working productively. This compares with:
- 26% of NSW respondents
- 23% of West Australians
- 20% of Victorians
- 9% of Queenslanders
What percentage of Australians workdays are productive when they work from home or remotely? By State.
| Response | NSW (%) | VIC (%) | QLD (%) | SA (%) | WA (%) | ACT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Not at all | 5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
Less than 30% | 11 | 25 | 27 | 24 | 8 | 0 |
30-50% | 26 | 20 | 9 | 33 | 23 | 20 |
60-70% | 27 | 19 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 20 |
More than 80% | 31 | 33 | 48 | 29 | 46 | 60 |
Are Australians spending their remotely working days engaging in non-work activities?
Money.com.au survey respondents were also asked to identify the non-work-related activities they engage in, during work hours and outside of lunch breaks, when working remotely. The respondents could select more than one activity from a list of eight.
Nearly two thirds (62 per cent) of respondents admitted they run errands such as grocery shopping, medical appointments and post office collections, during their remote working day, while more than half (58 per cent) engage in non-working reading, watch TV or use social media.
Other activities respondents admitted to engaging in when working remotely included:
- Doing housework (chosen by 57% of respondents)
- Fitness, leisure, recreational activities (chosen by 43%)
- School drop-off and pick-up (35%)
- Social catch ups with friends or family (34%)
- Sleeping (30%)
- Helping children with homework and/or preparing their meals (29%)
When you work from home or remotely, do you do the following during work hours and outside of lunch breaks?
The survey found that higher rates of men use their work hours for errands related to their children, compared with female respondents. Specifically, 38 per cent of men take their children to and from school during their workday. This compares with:
- 31% of women
More men, by a small margin, also indicated they help their children with their homework or prepare their meals. This included:
- 31% of men
Compared with:
- 27% of women
Men are also more likely to catch up on sleep than their female counterparts, by a small margin:
- 33% of men
Compared with:
- 27% of women
The survey also found that women are more likely to run errands, such as grocery shopping, medical appointments, and post office collections, at 43 per cent. This compares with:
- 34% of men
A higher proportion of women also do housework during work hours:
- 61% of women
Compared with:
- 54% of men
When you work from home or remotely, do you do the following during work hours and outside of lunch breaks? By gender.
Across the age groups, younger respondents are more likely to engage in non-work-related activities during their remote working day. Two thirds (66 per cent) of under-50s admitted to running errands during work hours. This compares with:
- 47% of over-50s
More younger respondents would also use social media, watch TV or engage in non-work reading, with 75 per cent of under-30s admitting they engage in these activities during work hours. This compares with:
- 56% of 31-50-year-olds
- 40% of over-50s
Housework was also a prominent activity under-30s engage in during their workdays, as indicated by 67 per cent of those respondents. This compares with:
- 58% of 31-50-year-olds
- 43% of over-50s
A higher proportion of under-30s also engage in fitness, leisure and recreational activities during their remote working day, at 57 per cent. This compares with:
- 41% of 31-50-year-olds
- 27% of over-50s
When you work from home or remotely, do you do the following during work hours and outside of lunch breaks? By age.
More South Australians than respondents in any other State admitted they do housework during their remote working day, at 86 per cent. This compares with:
- 57% of Victorians and NSW respondents
- 52% of Queenslanders
- 50% of West Australians
Social catch ups with friends or family is also a more common occurrence among South Australian respondents, with 52 per cent admitting to engaging in this activity. This compares with:
- 41% of NSW respondents
- 29% of Victorians
- 27% of Queenslanders and West Australians
Similar proportions of respondents across the States spend their work hours using social media, watching TV or engaging in non-work reading. By a small margin, a higher proportion of South Australians (67 per cent), admitted to engaging in these activities. This was followed by:
- 62% of West Australians
- 61% of Victorians
- 58% of NSW respondents
- 57% of Queenslanders
When you work from home or remotely, do you do the following during work hours and outside of lunch breaks? By State.
| Response | NSW (%) | VIC (%) | QLD (%) | SA (%) | WA (%) | ACT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Run errands such as grocery shopping, medical appts, and post office collections | 62 | 65 | 61 | 67 | 58 | 0 |
Take the kids to and from school | 33 | 39 | 32 | 43 | 27 | 0 |
Help the kids with their homework and/or prepare their meals | 27 | 36 | 25 | 33 | 23 | 0 |
Do housework | 57 | 57 | 52 | 86 | 50 | 40 |
Fitness, leisure, recreational activities | 42 | 47 | 46 | 52 | 35 | 0 |
Non-work reading, social media use or watching TV | 58 | 61 | 57 | 67 | 62 | 0 |
Social catch ups with friends or family | 41 | 29 | 27 | 52 | 27 | 0 |
Sleep | 33 | 33 | 21 | 43 | 15 | 20 |
Do Australians succumb to more distractions when working remotely?
Survey respondents were also asked whether there are more distractions when they work from home or remotely, and to identify what those distractions are. Respondents could select more than one distraction from a list of six. More than two thirds (67 per cent) of respondents selected at least one distraction. Specifically:
- 23% of respondents admitted they are distracted by their TV
- 22% are distracted by unexpected errands or appointments that required leaving the home
- 22% are distracted by social media
- 21% are distracted by pets who want to play
- 19% are distracted by other household members or children
- 11% are distracted by visitors
A third (33 per cent) of respondents indicated they don’t experience more distractions when working remotely, while 5 per cent admitted to being more distracted by other activities, not identified in the survey.
Do you have more distractions when you work from home or remotely - and what are they?
Under-30s respondents are more likely to be distracted by social media when working remotely, at 38 per cent. This compares with:
- 18% of 31-50-years-olds
- 9% of over-50s
Unexpected errands or appointments are also a prominent distraction for 28 per cent of under-30s respondents. This compares with:
- 22% of 31-50-year-olds
- 13% of over-50s
In contrast, older respondents are the least likely to be distracted when working remotely. Nearly half (47 per cent) of over-50s indicated they do not experience more distractions. This compares with:
- 34% of 31-50-year-olds
- 21% of under-30s
Do you have more distractions when you work from home or remotely - and what are they? By age.
Across the States, more NSW respondents are distracted by social media when working remotely, at 27 per cent. This compares with:
- 24% of South Australians
- 21% of Queenslanders
- 20% of Victorians
- 15% of West Australians
Errands are also a prominent distraction for respondents across the States. A higher proportion of Victorians (26 per cent), by a small margin, admitted they are distracted by errands and appointments when working remotely. This was followed by:
- 25% of Queenslanders
- 22% of NSW respondents
- 14% of South Australians
- 12% of West Australians
Pets were also identified as a major distraction, particularly for respondents based in Queensland (27 per cent). This compares with:
- 24% of Victorians and South Australians
- 19% of NSW respondents
- 8% of West Australians
Do you have more distractions when you work from home or remotely – and what are they? By State.
| Response | NSW (%) | VIC (%) | QLD (%) | SA (%) | WA (%) | ACT (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Yes, the TV | 26 | 24 | 14 | 24 | 19 | 20 |
Yes, pets who want to play | 19 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 8 | 20 |
Yes, unexpected errands or appointments making me leave the house | 22 | 26 | 25 | 14 | 12 | 0 |
Yes, other household members (or kids) who disrupt me or are noisy | 19 | 18 | 18 | 10 | 27 | 20 |
Yes, visitors | 14 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 8 | 20 |
Yes, I am on social media | 27 | 20 | 21 | 24 | 15 | 0 |
Yes, but none of the above | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
No | 32 | 30 | 34 | 24 | 46 | 40 |
