‘Grow up’: Debate erupts over WFH photo
A clip of two women working from Bondi Beach on their laptops in their bikinis has ignited a debate about working from home.
A clip of two women typing away on laptops from the beach in their bikinis has ignited a debate about remote working.
The working from home debate is already raging in Australia, with millions having gotten used to it when Covid lockdowns saw people confined to their homes.
But now, many government and banking workers have been ordered back to offices, with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announcing that all corporate staff will be required to work in person permanently.
Australian betting giant Tabcorp has also jumped on the bandwagon, telling employees this month they must work in-office five days a week.
So, this photo taken of the sun-seeking women on their laptops on Sydney’s Bondi Beach is just the latest thing getting Aussies fired up about remote work.
Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder told news.com.au that effectively working from the beach probably comes down to what kind of work you’re doing.
“I think if you’re doing something solo and it works for you. Then sure, whatever it takes. For most people I think it is fraught with issues,” she said.
Ms Calder pointed out that privacy should be a massive concern for workers when deciding to work in public places.
“You need to be careful who can view your laptop screen and who has access to it,” she warned.
Ms Calder also said that it could be difficult to be “focused, present, and professional” when you’re having meetings online and at the beach.
“I’m not convinced that you can do quality work,” she said.
The recruitment expert said that if you work remotely, it is the remote worker’s responsibility to make it work.
“We have a co-worker who is based in the UK, and she’s been working remotely for us for seven years, and that works because she’s the one that puts in the effort to make it work,” she explained.
“She’s committed, she’s structured and she builds relationships.”
Ms Calder said that bosses contact her “all the time” because their remote workers are taking a mile when they’ve been given an inch, and are working from places the employers are concerned aren’t productive.
She explained it often comes down to making sure the expectations are clear when people are working remotely.
“It becomes a problem if you don’t have a good policy in place,” she said.
The clip, shared with the caption “I’m doing this whole WFH all wrong”, sparked a big reaction online. As well as questioning their own work choices, many people were concerned about the practicalities of the women’s situation and whether their laptops were getting damaged.
“The sand on the keyboard. I could never,” one wrote.
Another added that they would likely get “in trouble” if they tried to WFH from the beach instead of just their home.
“Can’t think of a worse place to use a laptop,” one mused.
“I’m surprised their laptops don’t overheat,” someone said.
“My laptop gets too hot and I couldn’t see the screen properly,” another shared.
“Time to grow up and go back to work, and as an employer, I’d be tracking your every movement and location if I was to even consider letting people WFH,” one claimed.
“They must have their cameras switched off,” someone else theorised.
Someone commented, claiming to be one of the girls in the video, insisting they were just “catching up on uni work”.
But that didn’t stop the picture itself sparking a huge debate.
Lauren, who runs a coaching business, posted the video of the two ladies on TikTok, and it has since amassed more than 90,000 views.
“I’m doing this whole WFH thing wrong,” she joked.
Lauren said she’s been posting videos of the unlikely places people work in Sydney since January and it’s a great talking point.
“I originally saw it at the Coogee Pavilion, and everyone was in there, and their laptops were open, and I thought this is crazy,” she told news.com.au.
Lauren has seen people working from all types of places, including underneath a hut at Bondi Beach, in pubs, or on park benches, but she’s never seen people working on the beach.
Next to the beach, sure, but not on the beach with their laptops.
“It is crazy,” she said.
“I think it has also become the new normal. I’ve never seen it so much until this year, and I was quite taken aback by it.”
Lauren doesn’t think there’s anything wrong with working from wherever. In fact, if she had an employee, she’d be happy for them to do it.
“If they are reaching their goals, then I wouldn’t care how they do it or how they are getting their work done,” she explained.
Working from the beach was slightly a bridge too far for her, though not because she’s concerned about how much work they are getting done.
Logistically, it stumps her.
“The sun and the laptops freak me out,” she said.
Lauren said she’d be worried about the “water and the sand” getting on her laptop, but she’d never do it because her laptop battery wouldn’t last.
She explained that she prefers to work from home because she likes “silence and to be in my own space”, but she understands that some people like the buzz of working outside or in cafes.
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