This Month
Labor targets Dutton’s WFH wind-back as ‘straight from DOGE playbook’
Labor will launch an attack on the Coalition’s return-to-the-office plans and public sector cuts by comparing them to Elon Musk’s cost-cutting outfit under Trump.
March
Reports of WFH’s death greatly exaggerated
New research from the Australian HR Institute has found major employers that have introduced stricter office attendance rules are swimming against the tide.
Albanese pitches to make work from home a cost-of-living issue
The prime minister has opened a new election battlefront, arguing flexible working makes an “enormous difference” to people’s household budgets and wellbeing.
WFH means far less pay. Workers such as David are fine with that
New research shows people who work from home earned almost 6 per cent less a year than their office-based peers, but the trade-off for David Phung is more time with his kids.
February
Dad wanted an extra WFH day to look after his baby. A tribunal agreed
The Fair Work Commission has found that tending to a crying baby or changing nappies are not grounds to reject a request for an extra paid day away from the office.
Whyalla steelworks in administration; NAB shares dive; WFH tide turns
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
CBA cracks down on ‘coffee badging’, Woolies joins WFH push
The big four bank tells staff they have to spend at least four hours in the office to count for a day’s work, while Woolies joins the back-to-the-office push.
The baffling (and little-known) WFH statistic
Businesses are tightening hybrid work rules, but working-from-home levels have so far barely budged.
January
Trump offers to pay out 2 million WFH employees
Federal staffers would be paid for eight months to September if they decide to resign rather than return to the office full-time.
Don’t say Trump, but return to office will pick up: property bosses
Heads of the country’s largest commercial landlords avoid commenting on the US president’s executive order. But they want workers back.
December 2024
For the rich, working from home has morphed into working from boat
Boomers and those without a mortgage are spending up to $8 million, but they want space to work and technology that won’t make them look like a novice.
$22b budget blowout; WFH is an ASX mess; The $3b Aussie wealth manager
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
WFH is a mess for ASX giants. It will only get messier
While Australia’s biggest companies have accepted hybrid work is here to stay, they remain uneasy about its impact. The debate is far from settled.
Study reveals the biggest winners from working from home
New research finds flexible working has boosted workforce participation for carers, working mums and people with a disability or health condition.
ACTU pushes for Labor to expand WFH rights
The ACTU is pushing to expand workers’ rights to challenge work-from-home refusals and raise the threshold for bosses to reject them.
‘Brain drain’: When return-to-office mandates backfire
Employees quit their jobs in higher numbers when told to return to the office, according to a new analysis of S&P 500 firms.
November 2024
Return to office order is ‘dismissing our humanity’, say Amazon staff
Andy Jassy, Amazon’s chief executive, has said all the company’s white-collar staff would be expected at their desks from January 2.
October 2024
Office funds drop 27pc, but the downturn may soon be over
Rising interest rates, weak demand and the switch to hybrid work have wrought havoc for the office sector over the past two years.
CBA threatens to cut bonuses in return-to-office push
It is the latest example of the stand-off between employers and employees over remote work concessions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Executives and research disagree about hybrid work. Why?
Almost five years since the start of the pandemic, many CEOs are ready to move on from a work experiment they never wanted to start.