Major work-from-home call for more than 400,000 Aussies

The New South Wales government has ordered all public sector workers to return to the office. The move comes after concerns were raised that a lack of office workers, particularly in Sydney's CBD, was having a detrimental effect on the wider economy.

As a result, Premier Chris Minns wants to see the more than 400,000 workers in the public sector system being "physically present" at their jobs. But Public Service Association general secretary Stewart Little is worried the move could create some serious "issues".

“You have to have a degree of flexibility, especially for those with caring responsibilities,” he said.

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"We’re never going to go back to pre-COVID – you can’t just flick a switch and have people rock up to work – some of the departments don’t even have the physical capacity for all their workers.

“Undoubtedly there will be issues that arise and we’ll have to negotiate.”

A memorandum was issued on Monday ordering workers to be in "an approved office, workplace or related work site".

“Individual agencies will now develop their own policies to implement this circular and progressively implement these changes," the memo said.

Public sector workers told to 'adjust'

Secretary of the Premier’s Department, Simon Draper, said while the move might not sit well with some people, the decision is part of the ever-evolving working landscape post-COVID.

“Regardless of your own circumstances, I ask that everyone work with their colleagues and agency leaders to adjust, just as we did when working from home was suddenly mandated four years ago,” Draper explained.

The Daily Telegraph claimed workers would be expected to be in the office every day of the week, but some flexibility would be allowed when it comes to job shares and working hours.

There will be some exceptions granted to individual workers, however, that will be on a case-by-case basis and it will have to undergo formal approval.

Do you have a story? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com

“The more our experience of work is shared, the more united we become,” the government stated.

Minns has been advocating for workers to return to the office, at least in a hybrid capacity, for months. But he acknowledged in June last year that working from home is a major perk that many have embraced after the pandemic.

”Obviously if we put restrictions in place I don’t want to see already massive numbers of vacancies across the public sector get even worse,” the Premier explained on Sydney radio station 2GB.

“If you don‘t have that immediate ability to speak to someone to solve the problem. I don’t think it’s great for efficiency or productivity levels.

“So I’d like to see more of it.”

Office vacancy rates have been well above average

Recently released data revealed how bad the work-from-home situation had become across the country.

According to the Property Council of Australia, while the office vacancy rate fell from 14.8 per cent to 14.6 per cent across the six months to July 2024, it's still 4.2 per cent above the historical average.

The new data found demand for both CBD and non-CBD office spaces was positive for the first time since January 2023, while CBD vacancy rates remained stable, increasing from 13.5 per cent to 13.6 per cent.

Vacancy rates for Non-CBD areas dropped from 17.9 per cent to 17.2 per cent.

Brisbane’s vacancy rate has also dropped from 11.7 to 9.5 per cent, marking the first time the number has dipped below 10 per cent since January 2013.

Sydney’s CBD office vacancy rate has also dropped, falling from 12.2 per cent to 11.6 per cent, while Adelaide has dropped from 19.3 to 17.5 per cent.

“It is pleasing to see vacancy levels fall in half of Australia’s CBDs,” Property Council of Australia chief executive Mike Zorbas said. “There is room for very cautious optimism in parts of the office market.”

He added to 9News that "strong and ongoing government leadership" was needed to get people back into the CBD and into their offices.

Zorbas claimed it was the "quickest" and "most cost-effective way" to boost economic productivity.

Working from home full-time is slowly waning for many businesses.

About two in five Aussie employees are now expected to head into the office five days per week, recent research from Robert Half found. That’s a massive jump from the one in five recorded last year.

The vast majority of Aussie companies (86 per cent) require staff to come into the office at least once a week, with five days the most common arrangement, followed by three days a week (17 per cent) and four days (12 per cent).

- with NCA Newswire

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