Aussie workers come up with new excuse for not working in the office

Employees are angry they are being forced back into the office, arguing they are going to take a huge financial hit with rising prices.

Aussie workers are upset they are being forced to return to offices, arguing that the soaring cost of living, including skyrocketing petrol prices and commuting costs, means they will be worse off financially, new research as found.

A survey by the Finance Sector Union found 75 per cent of members were concerned about the cost and time of commuting if they had to return to the office after making significant savings on travel by working from home during the pandemic.

CommSec chief economist Craig Jones said motorists are currently paying an extra $35 to fill up compared to 12 months ago, when fuel prices were sitting at an average of around $1.40. Prices have already exceeded $2.20 in March and some estimates have predicted prices could reach $2.50 with workers worried this will hit them hard as wage rises have failed to keep up with the cost of living.

One worker in the FSU survey said working from home had improved their finances by at least $5000 annually and “freed up about 15 days per year”.

Workers have a host of concerns about returning to the office. Picture: Unsplash

Commuting costs beat out other issues to become the biggest concern about returning to work.

The survey found that 69 per cent were worried about catching Covid, 60 per cent were concerned about physical and mental health and 57 per cent wanted to continue working from home to avoid disruption of family and caring responsibilities.

Others spoke about flexible working arrangements allowing them to also save on childcare costs.

“Our employers have achieved extraordinary financial results off the back of allowing

flexibility. Why fix something that is not broken?” another worker argued in the survey.

The FSU said consumer prices rose 3.5 per cent in 2021 while wages increased by just 2.3 per cent and workers should be able to continue working from home.

“Workers should not have to absorb the increased cost of commuting to work when their work can be performed from home,” the FSU report said.

Staff also said working from home has made family life easier. Picture: iStock

Julia Angrisano, national secretary at the FSU, said employers should be implementing fair and flexible work which should include the option of fully remote working where possible.

Workers should not be forced back to the office when they have real fears about their health too, she added.

“Finance sector workers are telling us that the option to work from home is very important to them. It enables them to spend more time with their family, save money by not commuting and most importantly, protect themselves from contracting Covid-19 at work,” she said.

“Employers claim to offer flexibility, but in reality, workers are being told that they must attend the office.

“Having endured the enormous pressures of working through the pandemic, staff deserve better.”

The union has written to more than 50 banks, insurance companies and super funds calling for more choice about returning to the office.

National Australia Bank has encouraged staff to work in the office three days a week, while ANZ has told workers there is an expectation of two to three days depending on their role.

Commonwealth Bank and Westpac staff were also invited back to the office this month.

Workers are worried about the cost of living including commuting costs. Picture: Unsplash

As cases soar again in NSW with around 20,000 recorded a day in the last week and an average of 9000 in Victoria, workers also expressed concern that the virus was still raging.

“The pandemic is not over, and I can’t believe we’re being told to go back to the office when

there are still tens of thousands of new cases or more per day,” one worker said.

“I look after vulnerable elderly parents and am afraid of giving Covid to them as they are heavily reliant on my support. I have compromised lungs and am prone to illness and if I catch Covid my parents will not have the support they need,” another wrote.

More than one in two workers were also concerned about managing their caring responsibilities and losing time with their children if they were required to go back to the office.

“I will lose out in spending bedtime with my son as he is normally asleep when I reach

home,” one staff member revealed.

“Being able to take my children to school and pick them up without having to put them in

before and after school care – better for them, nicer for me and reduces our cost of care,” added another.

Originally published as Aussie workers come up with new excuse for not working in the office