Why working from home will become the new normal
Thousands of Melbourne office workers will never return to their old work space full-time after the COVID-19 pandemic as remote working is tipped to become a part of the city’s future.
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Thousands of workers will never return permanently to office buildings because of the coronavirus.
In a major development that will reshape Melbourne, the Saturday Herald Sun can reveal some of the state’s biggest companies will allow employees to work permanently from home.
Supermarket giant Coles will have about 2000 workers — half of its head office staff — work from home from now on.
The uptake of remote working will last far beyond COVID-19, with Coles now expecting its headquarters to only house 2000 staff at any time going forward.
ANZ, whose Docklands and Melbourne CBD head offices housed 11,500 workers prior to the pandemic, is also reviewing its plans - including a permanent shift towards working from home.
Concerns about workers staying at home has prompted high level talks between the City of Melbourne and business leaders to get their employees back in the office.
A concerned Lord Mayor Sally Capp said returning workers were central to the city’s reactivation.
Cr Capp, who has been meeting with major city employers in recent weeks, said staggered work times and days could mitigate the risks to workers and the wider community.
“About half of the city’s pre-covid daily population was from workers and they will be crucial to help our CBD traders,” she said.
“More people in the city means more dollars going through cash registers, which keeps Melburnians in jobs.”
More than a million people came into Melbourne daily before the pandemic, with that figure slashed in the wake of the crisis.
“City workers are a valued part of our visitor population and are critical to ensuring the vibrancy of Melbourne and the viability of local businesses and organisations,” Cr Capp said.
Surveys have shown the overwhelming majority would like to be able to work from home for at least one day a week from now on.
National Australia Bank has mothballed two of its three Melbourne offices with more than 30,000 of its 34,000 staff working from home during the pandemic.
NAB boss Ross McEwan said he wanted staff to return to headquarters when it was safe to do so, but the bank would adopt a more “flexible and hybrid” approach towards work over the longer term.
Telstra chief Andy Penn has not set foot in the telco’s CBD headquarters for eight months and is preparing for a major chunk of staff to continue with flexible work arrangements.
Unions have backed the flexible working arrangements.
But that could see offices empty well into 2021 or beyond, with Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton saying on Friday the risk of a third wave could only be eliminated with the development of a vaccine.
Australian Services Union secretary Lisa Darmanin said employee safety was key to the return of office-based roles.
“There are concerns that workers can socially distance, settings like lifts and open-plan offices are a challenge and a risk that needs to be mitigated,” she said. “Public transport also poses a risk when large numbers of people return to work, and there needs to be serious work go into how people can get to work safely.”
Restaurant & Caterers Association chief Wes Lambert said the return to office work was critical for the viability of many city traders.
“We have to make sure it’s done safely and carefully, but it’s vital that these businesses, who need that corporate patronage to survive, are given the chance to get back to business and put people back to work,” Mr Lambert said.
A government spokesman said while planning and consultation for the Victorian public service’s return to workplaces was underway, flexible work arrangements would continue.
Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief Paul Guerra said while COVID-19 appeared to be driving a permanent shift in remote working, it did not mean the death of the office.
“It may mean that people choose to work from home or remotely a couple of days a week and come into the office a couple of days a week,” he said.
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