A recent study by collaboration technology provider Barco has shown that a majority of Australians (55%) would prefer to continue working from home at least two days per week with just over half (51%) finding it less enjoyable now than at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research, which surveyed 1,750 white collar workers across seven countries, looked at how collaboration in the context of the corporate setting, alongside employees’ expectations, have evolved over the pandemic.

It found that time saved by not commuting, flexibility to work at times that suit people best and work-life balance were some of the top reasons why those surveyed prefer working from home.

Conversely, 40% of respondents say that it has been difficult to collaborate with colleagues, 37% missing the social side of office life and 26% struggling to contribute to meetings.

The main finding is that most employees want a hybrid model, one where they have the flexibility and freedom to work from home when it best suits them and the type of work they need to do while also still heading into the office some of the time.

Other options for working in a post-COVID world included working in smaller satellite offices some of the time (26%) and co-working spaces (35%) some of the time.

There was a significant demand from workers for their employers to invest in better facilities and change existing facilities to enable this hybrid working balance. Hotdesking may become a thing of the past, with only 12% indicating it as a preference. Fears around hygiene were also clear. More than two in five Australians are worried about touching surfaces and screens, remote controls, meeting room chairs and door handles in their offices, requiring organisations to be rigorous in ensuring the office space is COVID-safe compliant.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the future of work, making it the ‘now’ of workplaces. But our research shows that while employees are working from home, they’re still experiencing many challenges, especially with collaboration,” Barco Australia managing director Claudio Cardile says.

“With many expecting ‘hybrid work’, a combination of in-office and remote working, to be the norm, it’s critical that businesses invest in solutions and processes that support workers to collaborate effectively.

“Technology has always, and will continue to, play a critical role. And employees are now expecting their companies to be investing in the tools that make their everyday easier, especially collaboration technologies. Businesses will also need to redesign or configure office spaces to ensure employees are empowered for hybrid working – from in-office hygiene to more informal meeting rooms. Making these changes quickly, as we gear up for the new year, is key to ensuring Australian businesses are ready for the post-COVID chapter.”

The research found that the way people are meeting changed too: 54% of Australians have used Zoom for virtual meetings in the past six months, followed by Microsoft teams a 38% and Skype at 31%.

The ‘Bring Your Own Meeting’ trend that was already on the rise before COVID-19 – where employees not only want to use their own devices, but also their own preferred conferencing solutions – has continued apace during the pandemic. The results of the study show that the laptop is now the single most important thing in most employees’ working lives: 74% said they couldn’t bear to be parted from it while at work.