Office Fomo? Kiwis working from home more likely to socialise with colleagues, survey shows

Young Kiwi professionals are still making an effort to go to Friday drinks - even if they're not in the office full-time. Photo / 123rf

Working from home has many documented benefits, from improving your concentration on tasks to cutting down your commute time. But it can mean we don’t get the chance to socialise and connect with our co-workers on a deeper level - so are we missing out? A new survey of young Kiwi professionals shows just how much we still value workplace socialising, even when we’re not in the office.

If, like me, you spent the majority of your working years under Covid-19 lockdown conditions, chances are you’re experiencing a bit of a work-from-home hangover.

Though it’s been years since most of us returned to the office for good, the debate rages on over whether it’s best to work from home, in the office full-time, or if a hybrid model is best for both employees and employers.

Employers are concerned that people working from home will lose out on the social benefits of the workplace, as well as face-to-face time with their colleagues.

Do hybrid workers miss out on socialising? Photo / 123rf

But now one New Zealand survey of workers has found that Kiwis working from home are still making an effort to socialise with their colleagues outside of working hours — and it may just be down to a healthy dose of Fomo (fear of missing out).

Commissioned by Bacardi, and conducted by Pureprofile, the survey canvassed 501 Kiwis aged 18 to 35 to see how they feel about socialising outside the workplace.

Eighty per cent of Kiwi workers surveyed take part in post-work socialising, with 52 per cent of them preferring to socialise during cocktail hours.

Nearly 70 per cent were eager to connect with colleagues outside of office hours, with 69 per cent believing it improved workplace culture, 47 per cent saying it helped reduce stress, and 46 per cent citing it as a way to celebrate each other’s professional achievements.

Bacardi commercial director Kane Stanford said it showed that employees are looking for more opportunities to socialise at work.

“As we witness a post-pandemic shift in employees’ perspectives, it becomes evident we need to find new ways of integrating both work and leisure for young professionals,” he said.

As for those working from home, or in workplaces with few social activities, 67 per cent of those surveyed said they wanted to socialise more outside of work. A lack of time held back 47 per cent of people from achieving this, with 31 per cent citing commitments in their personal life as a barrier.

Interestingly, 87 per cent of people working from home were eager to gather with colleagues after work - with 59 per cent keen on meeting co-workers during cocktail hours. It could be because social interactions like this help make up for a lack of interpersonal connections during work hours.

So, do hybrid workers get the best of both worlds?

One Kiwi mum told the NZ Herald that while she’s grateful for the opportunity to work from home when she needs to, she prefers to be in the office and spend time with colleagues in person.

Sophie Pollard works for PR firm Campbell & Co and spends around three days in the office each week.

Sophie Pollard, who works for PR firm Campbell & Co in Auckland, tries to be in the office three days each week as she finds it “more productive”. On the other hand, the benefits of working from home include a greater ability to concentrate and find deep focus on a piece of work, and flexibility around parenting her kids.

“Sometimes you just need to be at home... we’re in an open plan office, which I guess is pretty common these days, but sometimes you just need to block out the noise,” she said.

“[But] I really value face-to-face time with the team and I think they do as well.”

Following the Covid-19 lockdowns, that facetime became more important than ever, she said.

“Having that kind of social connection with each other and the banter that goes on in the office, you miss that when you’re not there,” she said, adding that after-work socialising is a big part of the workplace culture.

“That’s something we really value, is those moments of connecting. It’s a nice way to just take some time out away from the day-to-day.

“It’s really helped our team’s culture just being able to share a drink together and get to know each other on a deeper level because I personally find that when your team are mates or you get on well, the work is actually more productive and everybody’s more inclined to be a bit more supportive to each other.”

Because of that, she tries to be in the office on a Friday for after-work drinks, when it’s someone’s birthday, or if there’s a new client to meet. “I’ll definitely make the effort to be there.”

It comes after a recent study showed the number of Kiwis working from home had gone up over the past year - as did their productivity levels.

Massey University management professor Jarrod Haar conducted a “wellbeing@work” study surveying 1000 to 1135 Kiwi workers during selected months between November 2021 and December 2023. It revealed hybrid working among participants had risen from 28.4 per cent in June 2023 and 32.3 per cent in December 2022 to 41.7 per cent in December 2023.

“Hybrid work is at a healthy level in New Zealand,” Haar told the Herald. “This might reflect greater acceptance of some hybrid work - and we average around two days a week across the New Zealand workforce.”

The study also showed hybrid workers are more productive at home than in the office, Haar said.

“The data suggests that hybrid workers are on average at least as productive at home as the office, with slightly over half saying they are more productive.”

Bethany Reitsma is an Auckland-based journalist covering lifestyle and entertainment stories, who joined the Herald in 2019. She specialises in telling Kiwis’ real-life stories, money-saving hacks and anything even remotely related to coffee.