More than three-quarters of our working population is back to fairly “normal pre-pandemic working habits”. Research finds an overwhelming amount of New Zealanders are back on the move and back to their workplaces.

In 2023 we can confidently say the pandemic has passed. In 2022 New Zealand made it through without any restrictions. A study carried out by JCDecaux New Zealand says Traffic now exceeds 2019 levels, CBDs are thriving and workplaces are busier than ever.

Some commentators believed we would never return to work once they had enjoyed the freedom of working in a hoodie and trackpants. We now see that more than three-quarters of our working population are back to fairly “normal pre-pandemic working habits“.

At least 89 percent of the working population leave their homes three or more days a week with 76 percent agreeing that they are essentially “back to normal” pre-pandemic working habits.

JCDecaux New Zealand Country Head, Mike Watkins says Kiwis are more mobile than ever since the pandemic.

“As soon as New Zealanders could move post-lockdown they did, Traffic levels are exceeding pre-pandemic benchmarks with our CBD thriving,” he says.

JCDecaux New Zealand has been tracking population mobility since 2021 and work-from-home habits since mid-2022. The research shows that 58 percent of New Zealanders have returned to the workplace for 100 percent of the hours worked.

Read more: What to take from lockdown to keep in the workplace?

Three in ten Kiwis now work a “hybrid location model” which includes working from both home and in the workplace, however, the majority of this group surveyed spends over 50 percent in the workplace.

JCDecaux New Zealand Senior Insights Specialist, Victoria Parsons says since the pandemic there has been a significant change in the way Kiwis work.

“Increased workplace flexibility in terms of day part is leading to not less, but different workplace movement. The mobility data shows that the most impressions for the city outbound sites can be experienced during 4pm and 5pm as opposed to the traditional 5:30 pm rush hour traffic,” she says.

“In the morning busy commute hours continue later somehow up until 10am, People are coming in later, finishing earlier or doing part days versus the standard eight-hour work day.”

The research also highlights that as well as being on the move in their day-to-day lives, Kiwis are far more active internationally. There was much pent-up demand from travel restrictions, as well as many credits from cancelled travel.

In the last three months, 21 percent of Kiwis have travelled internationally.

For Christmas 2022, Samoa saw a demand that was 40 percent higher than pre-Covid and Rarotonga 19 percent higher than 2019.

JCDecaux’s research reveals that 45 percent of Kiwis planning an international trip in 2023 with 12 percent already booked and 11 percent close to booking.

This study has shown that a somewhat new standard has been reached, with minimal change or settling in the last study when looking at work habits.

The predicted “new normal”, which we can all agree was over-stated, is nothing like the “normal” we were used to pre-pandemic.

Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity and not a threat, shall we say, we’ve optimised the old to create something that has been accepted as the new norm.