Aussies across the country are worried their work-from-home (WFH) privileges could end this year. Major companies like Tab Corp and Amazon announced huge changes to workplace policies in 2024 and one expert believes many more will continue the trend.Recruitment expert Graham Wynn feels it's a matter of when, not if, for the WFH blueprint to shift in Australia. He told Yahoo Finance that WFH is becoming too tricky for bosses and companies to manage.
"The biggest issue with work from home is it creates a two-tier working system, even within one company, because if you're manufacturing, you can't do that from home, while salespeople can work from home," he said.
"That's going to create so much conflict in workplaces. If half can work from home and half can't, that's just asking for trouble."
Wynn said there was a major incident last year that could accelerate the end of WFH rights.
An employee with the City of Charles Sturt told the South Australian Employment Tribunal that she tripped and fell over a 60-centimetre-high metal fence while she was working from home. She had installed the fence across the doorway to her home office so that a colleague’s puppy, which she was dog-sitting for the day, could be kept away from her pet rabbit.The Tribunal ruled her injuries arose out of her employment as the fall happened during an “authorised coffee break at her place of employment”, and, as a result, she was deemed eligible for compensation.The Superior People Recruitment founder told Yahoo Finance that this could be the "final straw" for many workplaces.
"Companies don't have the resources to send people to check your home to make sure they're a safe work environment," he said.
"That's the issue now, because even though you've got an office set up or you work from your kitchen, it's now treated as your entire house."
"That potentially includes your gardens and yards, because you could come outside for a smoke break and fall over a fence or a rock or a brick or something, and therefore, because that break is in work time, you could apply for workers compensation.
"So employers are going to say, 'We can't monitor and control this'."
FINRA said the updated regulations aren't meant to end working-from-home arrangements.
"The new rules provide a practical and balanced way for firms to meet their regulatory obligations, while protecting investors, and acknowledging the need for greater workplace flexibility," it said in a statement.
"FINRA has seen recent statements from firms stating that new, stringent rules from FINRA will require them to bring their workforce back to the office full-time. This is incorrect."
The Australian Financial Review's Chanticleer CEO poll found many chiefs of our big banks were content with a hybrid model, but that could change over the coming months and years.
"My sanity was on the brink of collapse before WFH began, but ever since I've mentally never been better. Being able to avoid the commute most days a week plus avoid office politics for the most part has been a godsend," they wrote on social media.
"If I get called to go back to the office (4-hour commute each day) they’ll have my resignation before the end of the day," added another.
"I got told I need to go back 3 days, annoyingly I can’t choose the days. Feels to me like a breach of contract as I accepted the offer based on the WFH policy but I guess these agreements are mostly beneficial to the employer," said a third.
Wynn predicts that many workplaces won't try to do a hybrid model of having workers come in one, two or three days a week.
"I think it's going to be pushed back to four or five... I don't think it'd be a small drip feed," he told Yahoo Finance.
The number of workers required to work from the office full-time grew to two in five last year, according to Robert Half. 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).
Authored by Stewart Perrie
Original Archive
"The biggest issue with work from home is it creates a two-tier working system, even within one company, because if you're manufacturing, you can't do that from home, while salespeople can work from home," he said.
"That's going to create so much conflict in workplaces. If half can work from home and half can't, that's just asking for trouble."
Dog tripping incident could send shockwaves across Australia
Wynn said there was a major incident last year that could accelerate the end of WFH rights.
An employee with the City of Charles Sturt told the South Australian Employment Tribunal that she tripped and fell over a 60-centimetre-high metal fence while she was working from home. She had installed the fence across the doorway to her home office so that a colleague’s puppy, which she was dog-sitting for the day, could be kept away from her pet rabbit.The Tribunal ruled her injuries arose out of her employment as the fall happened during an “authorised coffee break at her place of employment”, and, as a result, she was deemed eligible for compensation.The Superior People Recruitment founder told Yahoo Finance that this could be the "final straw" for many workplaces.
"Companies don't have the resources to send people to check your home to make sure they're a safe work environment," he said.
"That's the issue now, because even though you've got an office set up or you work from your kitchen, it's now treated as your entire house."
"That potentially includes your gardens and yards, because you could come outside for a smoke break and fall over a fence or a rock or a brick or something, and therefore, because that break is in work time, you could apply for workers compensation.
"So employers are going to say, 'We can't monitor and control this'."
American banks already leaning on this trend
Fortune reported in December that changes were already happening in America. The brokerage industry watchdog, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), is reverting back to pre-pandemic regulations for monitoring workplaces. This means some home offices will have to be registered with (FINRA) and they will be inspected by regulators at least every three years to make sure they're compliant. Bloomberg revealed that big players like Citigroup, Barclays, and HSBC, have decided that it's not worth the effort and have changed WFH rules to have thousands of staff back in the office full-time.FINRA said the updated regulations aren't meant to end working-from-home arrangements.
"The new rules provide a practical and balanced way for firms to meet their regulatory obligations, while protecting investors, and acknowledging the need for greater workplace flexibility," it said in a statement.
"FINRA has seen recent statements from firms stating that new, stringent rules from FINRA will require them to bring their workforce back to the office full-time. This is incorrect."
The Australian Financial Review's Chanticleer CEO poll found many chiefs of our big banks were content with a hybrid model, but that could change over the coming months and years.
Aussies fear their WFH rights will be taken away
With millions of Aussies starting back at work today following the Christmas and New Year break, many are worried they're in for a big change to the way they do things. One said it would be a huge shift if they had to go back to the office."My sanity was on the brink of collapse before WFH began, but ever since I've mentally never been better. Being able to avoid the commute most days a week plus avoid office politics for the most part has been a godsend," they wrote on social media.
"If I get called to go back to the office (4-hour commute each day) they’ll have my resignation before the end of the day," added another.
"I got told I need to go back 3 days, annoyingly I can’t choose the days. Feels to me like a breach of contract as I accepted the offer based on the WFH policy but I guess these agreements are mostly beneficial to the employer," said a third.
Wynn predicts that many workplaces won't try to do a hybrid model of having workers come in one, two or three days a week.
"I think it's going to be pushed back to four or five... I don't think it'd be a small drip feed," he told Yahoo Finance.
The number of workers required to work from the office full-time grew to two in five last year, according to Robert Half. 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).
Authored by Stewart Perrie
Original Archive
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