AGL links office attendance ‘expectations’ to performance reviews in WFH policy

New working from home policies threaten to ruin the hybrid-working dream for millions of Australians.

Staff at one of Australia’s biggest energy companies have been warned not to expect promotions if they fail to come into the office at least three days a week.

AGL Energy has joined rival energy companies Origin and Suncorp in introducing a fresh WFH policy that links office attendance with performance reviews.

Under the policy introduced in January, staff who fail to come into the office for the required three days may miss out on bonuses and other benefits.

“AGL prides itself on its inclusive, flexible and collaborative culture. AGL’s flexible working options include part time, reduced or compressed hours, career breaks, job share and hybrid working,” a statement from AGL states.

“In line with our Hybrid Working model, employees are required to work from the office or site a minimum of three days per week unless a flexible work agreement has been agreed upon or other site-specific working models apply.

“Just as we consider individuals alignment with our values, policies, guidelines, and procedures, working in alignment with our flexible and hybrid working expectations are considered as part of an individual’s performance evaluation.”

The policy comes after US technology company Dell introduced a strict return-to-office mandate in February, where fully remote staff were told they would not be promoted or be able to change roles.

“For remote team members, it is important to understand the trade-offs: Career advancement, including applying to new roles in the company, will require a team member to reclassify as hybrid onsite,” a memo to employees stated.

AGL Energy’s head office building in Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Brendan Beckett

Currently, about 37 per cent of Australians work from home regularly, according to the most recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The Fair Work Commission is currently investigating whether working-from-home rights should be incorporated into industrial awards.

About 2.2 million workers on award wages could be impacted by the findings of the review, which will make recommendations to the federal government.

Earlier this month, a public servant won a legal bid to work from home despite multiple appeals by his employer, the Queensland government, to force him into the office on a more regular basis.

Queensland Health worker Daniel Hume told his manager working from home made him more productive and enabled him to spend more time with his family.

However, his request was ultimately denied by senior director Fiona Brewin-Brown, who instead informed Mr Hume he needed to come into the office two days for one week and three days the next, according to court documents.

Mr Hume took his fight to work from home full-time to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission and won, arguing Queensland Health did not take into account his circumstances.

Workplace Minister Tony Burke said there were plenty of examples where working from home brought “mutual benefit” to both workers and employers and urged businesses to be open to discussions.“It makes sense that the Fair Work Commission is saying okay, let’s check and work through submissions and see how that fits through the awards system,” he said.

Quizzed about the possibility of new working from home laws, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said remote working was a very positive development to come out of Covid-19 particularly for working mothers – but warned against workplaces using a “one size fits all” approach.

“I think that it is important, from at least time to time that people gather in one place so they can have that social interaction,” he said.

Opposition Leader Peter Dutton said while he supported flexibility for workers, he held concerns about the impact decreased productivity would have on the economy.