PRESS RELEASE: Research finds that remote working boosts productivity for Aussie tech teams
Media release
Monday, 14 December 2020
The sudden switch to remote working for Australian and New Zealand tech companies has resulted in boosted productivity, according to a research report published by Melbourne based tech consultancy Cogent.
The Australia and New Zealand Product Team Report, which surveyed 73 CEOs, founders, developers, designers and product managers across 53 tech companies in Australia and New Zealand, found that nearly half (49%) reported that the switch to remote working has boosted team productivity. A further 33% reported no change at all, and only 18% of respondents said they’re now less productive than the traditional in-person office setting.
The mass move to remote work, accelerated by COVID-19, has resulted in global tech leaders like Atlassian, Twitter, Facebook and Google announcing that their employees will be able to choose where they work, even when COVID-19 restrictions allow them to return to the office.
These announcements follow in the footsteps of a growing number of tech companies like GitLab, Zapier and Buffer that were famously setup as globally distributed teams from the outset.
Cogent, who work with tech leaders like Afterpay, Catch and Square, produced the report, and have already started to implement actions themselves based on the research. Mark Wells, CEO of Cogent, said “We work with a lot of these leading tech companies that are now offering employees more flexibility around remote working, so it makes sense for us to do the same. It’s also meant that our teams can more easily work with product teams based Sydney and California rather than just Melbourne.”
Whilst the report confirms that teams can be more productive when remote, 30% of respondents said they felt thinly spread with their contributions were less recognised in the remote environment. These challenges, along with a lack of social connection, are areas tech companies now need to overcome as new ways of working evolve in Australia and beyond.
Marty Andrews, CEO and Co-Founder of fast-growing Australian tech startup Chargefox said, “Our team is mostly based in Melbourne, but our product and delivery teams have been fully remote since March. It hasn’t slowed down our growth at all, but we’ve had to work hard to consciously balance productivity with a strong sense of interaction and connection within the team.”
The report delves into how product and delivery teams work together to launch, scale and improve products within tech companies in Australia and New Zealand. The full report is available to download at https://cogent.co/report-2020/
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Editor’s Notes
Cogent is a tech consultancy based in Melbourne, working with tech companies on product strategy and design, through to software development and product management. For over a decade, Cogent has helped all kinds of organisations – from tiny startups to global tech leaders – design and build digital products that are used and loved by millions of people every day.
Through its investment arm, Cogent Ventures, the business also invests in promising growing startups with a focus on creating a better future.
The 2020 Australia and New Zealand Product Team Report is a 40-page report featuring insights from over 73 respondents across 53 companies. Respondents were from some of Australia’s leading tech companies including Redbubble, MYOB, 99 Designs and Culture Amp.
For more information, or for additional quotes please contact Courtney Goes, Head of Marketing at Cogent via marketing@cogent.co