Off the clock, in the sheets: What Aussies are getting up to while working from home
Aussies working from home are engaging in everything from housework to hanky panky on company time, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,004 respondents revealed 2 in 5 (39%) have done something controversial when working from home.
Nearly 1 in 10 Aussies (9%) admit to getting intimate with a partner while working from home.
Many are mixing personal life with work – 1 in 5 (20%) do household chores on the clock, 18% watch movies, 13% nap, and 12% juggle childcare responsibilities.
Almost 1 in 10 (9%) have even job-hunted during work hours, while 7% have snuck off for a surf or a round of golf.
A further 6% confessed to working a second job while working from home.
Gen Y were the most likely to get frisky during work hours, with 16% admitting to it in the past year.
Taylor Blackburn, personal finance expert at Finder, said this might have something to do with organisations urging workers to return to the office.
"Intimate time at home would not be what most employers mean when they allow flexible work for increased productivity.
"Hybrid and remote working has had a huge impact on work life balance, but some are taking that to the extremes.
"Most salaried employees aren't confined to working 9-5, and often life – or in some cases creating life – gets in the way.
"Most people use flexible work to balance family and life admin, but a surprising number are pushing the boundaries of what's acceptable during office hours."
Blackburn said these figures show why some bosses are eager to get workers back in the office.
"Remote work is meant to boost efficiency and wellbeing, but for a slice of the workforce it's blurring the lines between personal and paid time.
"If employees want hybrid work to stick around, they'll need to prove they can stay focused on the job – not on side hustles, surfboards, or sex.
"Workers are entitled to a lunch break, so best to turn the laptop off and attend to any non-work activities during that time."
Have you done any of the following while working from home in the last 12 months?
| Chores around the house | 20% |
| Watched a movie | 18% |
| Taken a long nap | 13% |
| Looked after children | 12% |
| Applied for other jobs | 9% |
| Had intimate time with my partner | 9% |
| Played a sport/done a hobby (gone surfing, running, played golf) | 7% |
| Worked another job | 6% |
| None of the above | 14% |
| I have not worked from home in the last 12 months | 47% |
| Source: Finder survey of 1,004 respondents, September 2025 |  |
Sources
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,004 respondents from September 2025.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.
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