NSW Premier Chris Minns calls for less working from home, more in-office collaboration

NSW Premier Chris Minns has issued calls for people to return to the office, mirroring bosses and employees calling for fewer work-from-home days.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos MAY 18, 2023: NSW Premier Chris Minns during a press conference to announce UFC 293 will take centre stage in Sydney on Sunday 10 September 2023 in a coup for the NSW tourism and events economy. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

NSW Premier Chris Minns has issued calls for people to return to the office, mirroring bosses and employees calling for a reduction in work-from-home days.

Quizzed specifically about office bound government workers, who are able to work-from-home 50 per cent of the time, Mr Minns said he’d like to see an increase of in-office days.

He reiterated he was bound by the tight labour market that rivalled that of the private sector.

”Obviously if we put in restrictions in place I don’t want to see already massive numbers of vacancies across the public sector get even worse,” Mr Minns said on Ben Fordham Live.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said he’s like to see more people return to the office, however was barred by a tight labour market. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Nikki Short

The Premier said in-office collaboration was especially important so younger workers could learn from their senior peers.

“Most workplaces you come across a problem three or four or five times throughout the day,” he said.

“If you don‘t have that immediate ability to speak to someone to solve the problem. I don’t think it’s great for efficiency or productivity levels.

“So I’d like to see more of it.”

After Covid work-from-home provisions became the norm, companies and workplaces are struggling to get employees back to the office. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Jeremy Piper

Mr Minns’ predecessor, Dominic Perrottet, had a more staunch approach to getting employees back to desks, labelling it as their “civic duty”.

“My view is I need to lead by example and have the public service return, and I’ll encourage the private sector return because it’s a civic duty we all work together,” he said in February 2022.

“Bringing back workers to the city is a civic duty from which we will all derive benefit, socially and economically.”

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), which employees about 48,900 staff, is the most recent company to tighten in-office mandates, with employees expected to hit a minimum 50 per cent target from mid-July.