More than a third of young Australian workers would quit if they were forced to return to the office full-time, with this “hybrid generation” valuing work-life balance above all else, even salary, a new report has found.
Working from home and general workplace rights have played a prominent role in the federal election campaign so far, with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton earlier this week backflipping on his plan to force public servants back to the office if the Coalition wins the May election.
Dutton admitted this policy was a “mistake” and asked for forgiveness, after sustained attacks from Labor, unions and workers over the plan, and concerns it would extend beyond the public sector.
New research by business improvement company BSI has found that hybrid work, where employees split their time between the office and home, is here to stay, with young workers ready to find a new job if they are forced back to the office every day.
The 2025 Global Workforce Entrants Study is based on a survey of 4,700 new workforce entrants around the world, including 417 early career workers in Australia.
The findings confirm a shift in priorities following the pandemic, with younger workers emphasising work-life balance and prioritising the ability to work flexibly from multiple locations.
The hybrid generation
Just under 40 per cent of respondents to the survey said they would quit their current role if they were forced to return to the office full-time, as the Coalition had been planning to do for all public servants before the policy U-turn.
Of the young Australian workers surveyed, over a third preferred hybrid work, while less than 20 per cent wanted to work fully remotely.
In contrast to some perceptions around young workers, participants did want to have some days in the office and acknowledged the benefits of working with co-workers in-person.
More than 60 per cent of respondents said that jobs offering hybrid work should have prescribed “anchor days” to ensure the team meets in person, and nearly a third of hybrid workers said they would not take a job if it was fully remote.
“The results provide a strong counterpart to the culture war narrative of a lazy generation; instead we have found a cohort thinking very carefully about what they want from life and work and understand the trade-offs involved,” BSI chief executive Susan Taylor Martin said.
“We are five years on from the pandemic and organisations around the globe are still grappling with the most effective ways of working.
“We commissioned this important study to create a detailed picture of a cohort who started with their careers amid significant upheaval, many of whom have never known pre-pandemic ‘typical’ working patterns.”
For these young workers, work-life balance is now the number one priority, with 63 per cent listing this as their top requirement in a job, followed by job stability, then financial incentives.
A big reason for wanting hybrid work amongst this cohort was to save time and money, with just under half of respondents living more than an hour away from their office and saying they are able to save money by not travelling.
This backs up research released by Labor last month that showed workers can save up to $5,000 per year in commuting costs if they are able to work from home.
A pragmatic workforce
The findings show that the younger generation of workers are a “highly pragmatic cohort”, BSI global head of human and social sustainability Kate Field.
“They value balance, moderation and consistency and are thoughtful when it comes to prioritising their own health and wellbeing,” Field said.
“Alongside the unique circumstances of the pandemic, they are also facing longer working lives and higher living costs so it is perhaps no surprise that sustainable careers - careers that serve their lives rather than the other way around - are a priority.
Separate research has also found that hybrid workers are happier and healthier than their office-based peers, taking fewer sick days and better able to access preventative medicines.
