NSW public servants ordered back to work at CBD offices

The NSW Government wants its employees to return to work in the CBD offices, shifting away from the pandemic-induced work-from-home structure.

NSW is getting out of the trackie dacks and preparing for the office, with Australia’s largest workforce, the state’s public servants, expected to return to their workplaces in early January.

Many CBD companies have also held onto their leases, while a new Wynyard office high-rise is almost fully leased, in a sign of confidence new life will breathe in the city.

The state government is keen on retaining “some flexibility” in their work, Premier Dominic Perrottet said, but it could not just be “about the employee”.

While private company employers will be able to ask staff to return to the workplace from December 15 – or when the state is 95 per cent double vaccinated – public servants are expected to return at least some days of the week at the end of the Christmas shutdown on January 7.

Discussions are under way between department heads and staff on vaccinations status rules.

The NSW Government is the largest employer in Australia with its workforce comprising close to 350,000 full-time equivalent positions.

Public servants are expected to return to work in their offices. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Gaye Gerard

It has left the management of staff at the discretion of agency heads.

Mr Perrottet said the workplace flexibility that existed within the public service before Covid would remain, but that there had to be “a balance”.

“The NSW public service had workplace flexibility before Covid and this is particularly important for many people, such as working parents, those studying part-time, and for people caring for a loved one,” he said.

“Catering for individual working arrangements is at the discretion of government agencies and managers. It can’t just be about the employee, there needs to be a balance between what is best for the employer, and also supporting the broader community and our cities.”

In the private sector, many businesses are also expecting staff to come back to work.

Property Council NSW deputy executive director Lauren Conceicao said leasing data for the Sydney CBD suggested many employers were expecting staff to return to the office with most holding on to their office and retail spaces.

The new premium-grade office and retail Brookfield Place complex on Wynyard Park which only opened on October 11 was also almost all leased – a sign of confidence in the market, she said.

Sydney’s CBD and harbourside were virtually ghost towns during lockdown. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Flavio Brancaleone

However, a return to work policy in the public sector would give the private sector the confidence to encourage staff back to the office.

“Sydney and Parramatta are large hubs for the public service. Parramatta has just come out of lockdown as an area of concern. It has a long way to go, but a return to work within the public sector will help convince the private sector to also return,” Ms Conceicao said.

“The public service should be leading the charge.”

Ms Conceicao said the vacancy rate on a global scale was “really good” with the strong interest shown by investors in premium grade office space a sign the sector was confident of people returning.

As for confidence among workers, people coming back into the CBD for Christmas, meeting loved ones and hospitality would help address any anxieties and make it easier for staff to come back to the office, she said.

As with most businesses and other industry sectors, government offices are open with fully vaccinated staff able to work from the office without limitations.

As part of revitalising the city, the government is injecting $50 million towards events and activations in CBDs and cities across Greater Sydney, such as the Sydney Street Party Series and Culture Up Late program.

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