"I think increasingly [it will be] about finding and framing problems. [And] how we tell stories and create compelling narratives around a vision."

The ability to collaborate to solve complex problems and innovate, as well as sharing knowledge and experience, are often cited as key benefits of working in the same physical environment.

Atlassian has employed various tools to encourage collaboration remotely. One method is to encourage staff to share information they have learnt.

Price said this week: "The best example is how we share openly. So when I finish [the panel] today and I've got to hear all your amazing comments, I could just go back to my home and think: that was a great event. But what I'm going to do is write a blog and share with the company what I learnt.

From left, BOSS editor Sally Patten, Atlassian's Dominic Price, Gilbert + Tobin partner Dianne Banks and behavioural scientist Juliette Tobias-Webb.Janie Barrett

"That gives no value to me. But it gives value to everyone else in the organisation. That's collaboration. Someone might make comments or ask me a question. We start the incidental conversation. When we work in a distributed way, we need to find other avenues to have these moments to connect. We don't have to bump into each other around the water cooler for that to happen.

"If you make this compulsory, people do it for all the wrong reasons. We try and make it because people genuinely see value in it."

Atlassian has also developed tools to help staff to learn and develop knowledge and skills remotely. The software company operates a program called Brainary, whereby anyone who considers themselves to have a good idea and be proficient in a particular skill is able to run a training course that can be attended by anyone.

"You do that to create social learning. You do it to create digital learning, because everyone has a unique learning style," Price said.

"If we pick one way of doing it, we'll probably fail. We pick a way where people can build their own adventure. You still need to be intrinsically motivated to do it. You can't force someone to learn something. But if you set up the system and make it easy to access, we believe the smart people will access that and they will continually grow and develop."

Dr Juliette Tobias-Webb, a behavioural scientist, also points to tools that can help staff learn effectively even if they are not physically at work. Digital platforms mean employees can observe how colleagues present, while the ability to share documents means staff can see how colleagues work and think.

Atlassian is also using a variety of tools to help build relationships and trust among colleagues. These can range from posting holiday snaps to conducting a "Pinot and Picasso" night.

"We got overly competitive for about two hours, drinking wine, painting terrible pictures, and what I learnt through that was there is no correlation between IQ and artistic ability," Price said.

Debbie Taylor, chief information officer, NBN Co

"We looked at a call centre and we compared February, before COVID-19 hit, and the month of June, when 100 per cent of our call centre agents were working from home, and we found some amazing information. The call centre agents were 6 per cent more productive, absenteeism was 50 per cent less and the average speed to answer a call was over 40 per cent quicker."

Alicia Purtell, people and culture director, Lion

"[If you want to get noticed by your leaders in this environment], I think the big thing is don't wait. You know you can't have politeness at a point when you want to discover and learn and be curious. You might not have normal channels so you have to utilise the ones that work best for you. Be really curious; share the learnings; put your hand up to be involved in new initiatives."

Dr Juliette Tobias-Webb, behavioural scientist

"There's a range of ways that we can watch and observe others now. We obviously have digital platforms where we can see people presenting. If you think about the gaming space, you can watch each other. Also there are digital tools that we use now, like a Google doc. When I was doing my PhD, I would sit over my supervisor's shoulder and watch him type away. I can actually now do that in a remote setting.

"The other thing that I'm quite curious about is the trade-off with innovation. Are you more innovative [when you are learning by yourself]? Do we come up with new ways of actually working or doing the task at hand, rather than just watching others?"

Dominic Price, resident futurist, Atlassian

"Ignore perfection because it will kill innovation. We've got to experiment with imperfection, and so many leaders struggle to do that. It's not fail fast. It's learn fast."

Dr Sean Gallagher, director of Centre for the New Workforce, Swinburne University

"[If you are going to put a number on the ideal split between working from home and the office], maybe 60 per cent at home and 40 per cent in the office. But I actually think this is a fantastic opportunity to completely reimagine what we mean by work and why we actually come together into a physical space. I think the workplace is no longer about coming in to process email or to do routine or predictable kind of work. That's just a waste of office space. I think increasingly [it will be] about finding and framing problems; how we tell stories and create compelling narratives around a vision.

Dianne Banks, partner, Gilbert + Tobin

"One of my clients which is Canadian headquartered has decided to move to hybrid remote working permanently. They're going to reduce their footprint and give people the option of working flexibly. I think we're a long way from that here. A number of employers I speak with still have this mentality of employees being "in the office". I think what it's going to take is the war for talent to drive change because the Fair Work Act doesn't help people in terms of flexible work practices in real terms."

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How much time do you really need to spend in the office? - The Australian Financial Review