South Australians defend working from home flexibility after Adelaide Uni comments

While some South Aussies love working from home for its “flexibility” others admit they get distracted outside the workplace. Have your say on the great WFH debate.

• How WFH remark sparked uni staff revolt

The working from home debate is in full swing once again following controversial comments made by former Adelaide University Deputy Vice Chancellor Paula Ward.

Ms Ward, who recently resigned from her role at the new university, sparked outrage when she claimed those who worked from home on Friday and Monday were getting “four-day weekends”.

The Advertiser took to the streets of Adelaide to see what South Australians really thought about the working arrangement that gained popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Office worker, Parth Deodhar said he preferred coming into work daily rather than working from home.

“I feel I am more productive in the office because I get disturbed at home and even my Wi-Fi is slower so I feel working from the office is better,” the 22-year-old said.

“I don’t get out of bed if I work from home and in the office you have a table and a chair and you can get in the mindset.”

The Wayville local also added that he thought working in the office helped foster friendships with co-workers.

“You get to connect with more people in the office …(and) build a cohort,” Mr Deodhar said.

Colleagues, Kylie Mitton and Sue Sandhu said their workplace functioned on a “hybrid” model allowing them to work from home two days a week and in the office three days a week.

They agreed that the “flexibility” provided by the arrangement was invaluable.

“I love the ability to pace myself and when I have those pieces of work that require a lot of focus and with not a lot of interruption, those are the days that I definitely use my work at home days,” Ms Mitton said.

The 52-year-old added that she would challenge anyone who thought working-from-home allowed workers to slack off.

“They should come spend the day at my house watching me sweat over my data sheets,” Ms Mitton said.

Working from home can be a helpful option for busy parents. Photo: Naomi Jellicoe

Ms Sandhu said she felt she “(got) more done” while working from home.

“I have a small family so pick-up, drop-off gets really easier without any sort of guilt,” the working mum said.

“Coming into office some days can be a little more distracting.”

While working from home is not an option for hospitality worker, Queenslander Brooke Mason said she thought the arrangement helped promote inclusivity and accessibility in the workplace.

“I think it can help a lot of people, there’s a lot of people with children … and people with disabilities that can’t work at a normal workplace every single day,” the 16-year-old said.

“I know a lot of people with really bad anxiety and it helps them.”

“You might gain a little bit of weight because you’ve got access to the kitchen all day but it can be really good for you.”

On social media, the majority of voters in The Advertiser’s working from home poll said they believed the model was “akin to a four day weekend”.

“It depends if you’re actually working or not,” one commenter wrote.

“I think there is also a big divide in some areas of who could work at home and who couldn’t which makes it very unfair,” another added.