How our state leaders have adapted to working from home — just like millions of others
Lockdown challenges are real for all Victorians — even state leaders who are balancing work with home schooling and never-ending online meetings. Here’s how some of them adapted to the coronavirus crisis.
VIC News
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Premier Daniel Andrews may be dealing with an evolving crisis unlike any the state has seen, but working from home means even he can’t avoid parent-teacher interviews.
Like millions of families around Victoria, the premier and his team are sharing offices and kitchen table work spaces with partners, children, and even pets.
Mr Andrews recently posted a photo to his social media account showing him join son Noah for a parent-teacher interview that looked “a little different this year” because it was online.
Mr Andrews told the Herald Sun that while he understood it wasn’t easy, when people worked from home it helped stop the spread of the virus.
“Working from home has its challenges but it’s vital to save lives,” he said.
“If you can work from home, you must work from home.”
Other business and community leaders have also shared their experiences running things from home — while some who still have to attend the office say it’s been difficult to adjust to constant online meetings.
State ministers are logging on remotely to Cabinet meetings using secure systems — some from their kitchen benches — while Victorian Council of Social Services chief executive Emma King says the line between “work” and “home” is now indistinguishable.
And although Chief Commissioner Shane Patton also attends the office most days he is working from a separate floor to his deputies in case one of them falls ill.
Deputy Premier James Merlino works at home while his school-aged children learning at home and said “like all parents, there’s been good days and days that were not so great with remote learning”.
“I think we will probably look back on this time in a couple of years and be grateful for the time we actually got to spend together, but at the moment it can be very difficult to see it that way,” he said.
“Balancing home learning with working is hard, but I know we just have to make it work – it’s vital to slowing the spread of this virus.
“I go for a walk to our pet alpacas or with the dogs to break up the screen time. Animals are great for mental health!”
Chief executive of the ANZ, Shayne Elliott, still has to attend the office to support the hundreds of essential workers at ANZ who were trying to help customers struggling with mortgages and payments during COVID-19.
But he does get to have breakfast with his 15-year-old daughter before she starts remote learning for the day.
Given many bank staff have to work from the office, he said measures were taken to protect them from virus risks.
“We have literally turned off every second or third desk,” he said.
“If you go to the men’s room, every second basin, the tap has come off, we’ve turned off every second urinal. We’ve made it very safe.”
Mr Elliott said increased screen time was difficult for all staff at the bank, although with face-to-face meetings cancelled there was now no travel time in the diary.
At work, Mr Elliott said his team made an effort to ensure online social functions and banter was included around meetings to maintain camaraderie and break the concentration-zapping video calls.
“When you meet in person you are much more likely to spend the first few minutes shooting the breeze, it’s that icebreaking chat about football … or talking about someone’s kids,” he said.
“We have tried to lead by example and make sure there is time at the beginning of (online) meetings just try to replicate some of that general chitchat.”
There’s also been an increase in wellbeing support offered to staff — particularly those helping families struggling with job losses or financial distress.
VCOSS chief Emma King knows all about the rise in those cases, and has been working from home to co-ordinate responses and help stakeholders.
“Continuous Zoom meetings and phone calls while the kids are also ‘home schooling’ is a huge challenge,” she said.
“I know many people are sick of video meetings but they have a major silver lining. People with disabilities and those in regional areas are joining meetings more easily than before, although internet access brings its own challenges.”
Another leader who has to attend the office most days is new Chief Commissioner Shane Patton.
He said a big focus had been to supply masks, gloves and glasses to police who have to be on the frontline.
“At a senior executive level, we have rearranged our office arrangements so myself and the Deputy Commissioners aren’t all working from the same level like we normally would,” he said.
“This means if someone was to get sick, we will still have a strong leadership team to make decisions and keep the community safe.”
He said continuous online meetings were draining and “it’s also more important than ever that we look out for our colleagues and ensure no one is being burnt out”.
“I perhaps don’t see my family as much as I normally would, but the fact there are no work events on of an evening means I still get to eat with my wife and kids most nights and can continue working from home after we’ve spent some quality time together.”
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