Sources : https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/working-from-home/working-from-home.pdf
How many people are working from home since the pandemic?
The world has changed as we knew it before. The pandemic has changed the lives of every person on earth whether we like it or not.
This article will not delve into how often we travel overseas, how we interact with strangers or how wearing masks seems to be normal now rather than different, as it was before.
Let’s discuss how business owners and corporations in Australia can turn a negative into a positive.
The increase in working from home is expected to be an enduring change. Before the pandemic, about 8% of people regularly worked some time from home, making up about 2% of total hours worked. But even as stay-at-home orders eased in early 2021, the number of people working from home remained at just under 40%.2 * (Australia Government Productivity Commission Sept 2021)
So almost half of the workforce is working from home even after stay-at-home orders eased. If trends in USA have any bearing on Australia, we will find that this figure may increase. Many people who were working from home and doing their job as good or even better than before have simply told their employer, “I’m not coming back to the office, I am moving to a rural destination so you can either fire me or accept that I do not want to work in the office anymore”. Most employers are saying that this is OK, we want to keep you, please sign in at the same time every day and do the same amount of work that you are expected to do.
Real Estate values in Rural areas have skyrocketed. The Australian Financial Review said in one article which reflects the words of many financial commentators “It is a trend that could reshape regional economies for decades to come. Record numbers of Australians are turning their backs on pandemic-hit big cities, taking advantage of being able to work from home, and relocating to commutable country towns and their lure of open space, fresh air, and cheaper housing.
So how can Australian Businesses turn all of these facts into profit? The obvious one is to rent smaller cheaper office space. This will in turn reduce electricity costs, insurances, and office furniture replacement etc. However, there is an even greater way Australian businesses can take advantage of this working from home phenomena. You now have a team member working in Bondi NSW so why not in Bangalore in India.
There are more highly educated qualified staff outside Australia than inside. Did you know that India has the 2nd largest population of English-speaking people in the world (after USA)? Therefore, it makes good sense to employ qualified Accountants from India who have studied English at University. Our Accounting Division Pty Ltd makes takes away the employment and human resources problems of having staff in a country other than Australia.
Our Accounting Division Pty Ltd is an Australian company that charges GST and has an office and team in India that interviews, reference checks and trains accounting staff to get them job ready for the Australian employer. We are your support network for the employee you hire. The person that you hire becomes your “employee”.
It’s like you are hiring a staff member plus a free training company to train your employee, counsel your employee, check their work before its returned, supply their office, their desk, their software, and all IT support. Your Accounting Division accountants and accounts staff receive an intensive training program on Australian accounting principles and tax laws before they join your firm. This is our secret sauce.. The training does not stop in our onboarding phase. Once an Accounts person is “employed” by you they spend one Saturday each month revising their study of Australian Accounting principles to ensure they become an asset to your company.
Your new employee and their supervisor also sign confidentiality agreements. and the work we train them to do for you is based on guidelines set forth by As we are a Member Entity of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, your staff are required to adhere to Australian Professional and Ethical Standards.
So, in summary, there has never been a better time for your company to save money, hire university graduated accounting staff for much less than the rate you would pay an employee living in Australia. You also get highly qualified staff that you need in a very tight labour market. Your new employee more than likely going to be working remotely anyway. It really makes no difference whether your employee is in Bangalore or Bangalow, employing an accounting staff through Your Accounting Division is a more cost effective and smarter move.
Check out our website for more information. www.ouraccountingdivision.com.au
