Yahoo Finance Victoria's cheeky work-from-home jab as NSW ordered back to the office
Workers of Australia's biggest employer have been told they won't be able to work from home full time anymore.
New South Wales public sector workers have been ordered to return to the office after years of a hybrid model and Victoria has fired a cheeky little message to those who might be upset by the move. The largest employer in the country issued a directive this week that will see more than 450,000 government workers return to their office desks.
But if they aren't happy then they could head across the border and continue their work-from-home (WFH) arrangement. A spokesperson for the Victorian government said there was plenty of work available if a public sector employee wants to jump ship.
"We know that flexibility in the workplace helps more women stay in work and more women in the workforce is better for everyone," the spokesperson said. "Any public servants from NSW who like flexibility in their workplace should consider moving to Victoria."
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Queensland said its public sector workers were encouraged to go into the office if possible but said there would be no change to work-from-home rules anytime soon.
It's unclear how many days per week NSW workers will have to be in an approved office setting but the Premier's office insisted it wasn't "mandating a particular pattern of attendance" from the top down.
It's understood that individual agencies will develop their own approach to the return to office memo.
Flexible working arrangements in the public sector have been widespread since 2019 and helped attract and retrain “talented people, particularly people with carer responsibilities and other commitments outside of work”, the directive acknowledges.
The directive flags the issue of public servants starting their careers not getting the benefits of learning from experienced colleagues face-to-face.
Are you affected by this? Email stew.perrie@yahooinc.com
“These outcomes are supported by employees working principally at their approved workplace,” it said.
“The more our experience of work is shared, the more united we become. That means being physically present in our organisations.”
The memo also points to office space, paid for by the public purse, sitting empty.
“Effective use of public assets, including workplaces and offices, requires that they be utilised across the full working week," it said.
“This circular does not strictly prescribe patterns of attendance … However, the starting position is that work is principally done in an approved workplace in NSW.”
Public servants will have to establish a formal reason with their manager if they want to work from home for any length of time.
If that request is granted, the arrangement will be for a defined period and will be regularly reviewed.
Concerns raised about sudden change to work habits
There are concerns that the sudden directive won't give public sector workers enough notice to change how they're currently operating.
The Public Service Association (PSA) said there were some worksites that "cannot physically accommodate" all the employees in the sector, so that would have to be ironed out fast.
"I don't think anyone in their right mind thinks that we're ever going to return to pre-pandemic ways of work, that's just a thing of the past," PSA general secretary Stewart Little said.
"I think that unless you want to keep staff, attract and retain qualified, specialised staff, then you have to work flexibly."
Another anonymous NSW public sector worker told the Daily Mail that the directive from the government would cause chaos for some people.
"We have to book desks two weeks in advance at the moment because Tuesdays are so busy - and we can't really dictate if teams should go in another day as this is dependent on work flexibility and family," they said.
Another added: "Going back into the office five days a week is unachievable for those who live two hours from the office."
But The Project host Steve Price said Aussies needed to stop treating work-from-home rules as something they're entitled to.
"No one should be able to work from home in grimy trackie dacks and put their feet up on the desk and go out the back and feed the dog when they're supposed to be working," he said.
"You get to work."
- with NCA Newswire
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