Telstra, Westpac, Medibank, NAB and Incitec Pivot split on employee pandemic rules as Covid-19 cases soar

Australia’s biggest businesses are introducing their own pandemic rules as the government handballs responsibility to the corporate sector.

Australia’s biggest companies are launching new pandemic measures — including reintroducing working from home and mask wearing — as they combat a fresh wave of rising Covid-19 infections.

Businesses are introducing their own rules in the absence of government orders, with Anthony Albanese saying it was up to companies to “get the balance right” on working arrangements.

This was despite Health Minister Mark Butler and his Victorian counterpart urging Australians last week to consider working from home “for a little period” to help curb rising Covid-19 cases and respiratory illnesses.

The lack of government-enforced mandates has sparked a split in how companies are keeping their staff safe amid rising infections.

While many — including Telstra and Westpac — are advocating remote working where possible, others, such as NAB, are instead urging mask wearing indoors and social distancing to avoid the effective return of lockdowns and gutting of capital city CBDs.

In the past 24 hours, Victoria has led Australia’s Covid-19 toll, with 37 deaths and 14,312 new cases, with 875 people in hospital. Meanwhile, NSW recorded 25 deaths and 13,829 new cases, with another 2210 people in hospital.

Telstra group executive, transformation, communications and people, Alexandra Badenoch on Thursday urged staff to work from home if they could.

Telstra executive Alex Badenoch is ‘strongly encouraging’ staff to work from home.

“With the rise in Covid case numbers and changing health advice, we have updated our people on how they can stay Covid-safe. We are strongly encouraging our people to work from home if they can, wear a mask when they can’t socially distance, and get their booster shot if they’re eligible,” Ms Badenoch said.

“We continue to monitor the situation and assess the health advice, and will adjust this guidance if we need to so we can help keep our people and customers safe.”

A Westpac spokesman said the bank had introduced a rating system, which was currently advising staff to avoid the office.

“Westpac’s workplace setting is currently amber, meaning some employees who can work from home may do so, with no requirement to be in the office. This is a temporary measure and employees are still welcome to attend the office if they prefer,” he said.

“In the past year we introduced a hybrid workplace model for some office based employees, giving people the benefits of both collaborating in person with colleagues, and working from home. Importantly, we regularly remind our employees to stay home if they feel unwell.”

Meanwhile, NAB is “strongly recommending” staff wear masks in doors to curb the spread and is continuing to practice hybrid working arrangements, involving employees coming to the office several days a week.

“With rising case numbers of Covid and influenza in the community, we’re strongly recommending all colleagues wear a face mask indoors. This includes inside our branches (back and front of house), Business Banking Centres (BBC) and offices. This is in line with the national cabinet’s advice to all Australians to stay safe this winter,” the spokesman said.

“During this time our branches, BBCs and offices will remain open, with current hybrid working arrangements to continue. Our sites are undergoing hygienic cleans daily and hand sanitiser, wipes and masks are always available to colleagues and customers.”

NAB chief executive Ross McEwan has been one of the biggest advocates of employees returning to the office after Melbourne’s marathon lockdowns to support the recovery of small CBD businesses.

“Big cities are effectively closed at the moment, and this is having a massive impact on businesses, particularly small business,” Mr McEwan said earlier this year amid the Omicron wave.

“I saw down Chapel Street and Bridge Road … nightclubs jammed with people with no masks, yet we’re being told it’s not safe to come into the workplace.”

NAB chief executive Ross McEwan is a big advocate of supporting CBD businesses and encouraging staff to return to the office. Picture: Arsineh Houspian

Property Council NSW executive director Luke Achterstraat said now was not the time to have “any knee-jerk reactions in response to recent reporting surrounding work from home advice” and he urged the government to scrap any plans to reintroduce mandates, including wearing masks.

“People simply want to get on with their lives, any returns to earlier pandemic responses are a step in the wrong direction” Mr Achterstraat said.

“This is evident through people opting to return to the office and be with their friends and colleagues. We saw an eight-fold increase from 7 per cent office occupancy in January to 55 per cent in May and over the weekend almost 50,000 people sat next to each other watching the Wallabies at the SCG.

“We are one of the highest vaccinated countries in the world along with freely available third and fourth booster doses as well as one of the lowest Covid death rates in the world.”

Incitec Pivot chief executive Jeanne Johns told The Australian Strategic Business Forum on Wednesday that it “would be shame to go backwards”, when asked about the possibility of government’s “shutting down” business operations again.

“I think the world‘s moved on. I just went around the world … and most people are finding ways to work through it,” she said.

“About 70 per cent of our people actually work in the field. That means they‘re in mine sites. They’re in product distribution centres, they’re working at plants, and they’ve been essential workers they’ve worked throughout, and we continue to put in safeguards such as rapid testing, isolations, and so forth.

“They’ve done a stellar job throughout and we really haven’t seen Covid spread in the workplace. In our offices, our official policy is three days a week in the office, but we’ve been very flexible.”

Incitec Pivot chief executive Jeanne Johns says the world has ‘moved on’ from lockdowns. Picture: Arsineh Houspian

This included Incitec Pivot shifting a conference of its top 100 leaders from in-person to online.

“When we get 100 people together, our top leaders, and sort of think about, ‘well, gosh, if they all got sick or half got sick, that wouldn’t really work’,” Ms Johns said.

“So we said that‘s actually not worth it.”

Australia’s biggest health insurer Medibank, based in Melbourne’s Docklands, has also rescheduled large staff gatherings and flexibility.

“The health and wellbeing of our people remains our top priority, and we are constantly monitoring and assessing the situation along with advice from federal and state governments,” a Medibank spokeswoman said.

“Flexibility isn’t new to us and our current ways of working remain unchanged. Our office-based people are empowered to make decisions on where they work, based on what they are doing and where it’s best to get that work done.

“Our offices remain open however large gatherings and events will be rescheduled to later in the year and we’ve asked our people to wear face masks where they can’t socially distance and in meeting rooms with other people. We’ve also asked our people to consider their personal circumstances and those of their colleagues before scheduling meetings or events in person.”

Originally published as Telstra, Westpac, Medibank, NAB and Incitec Pivot split on employee pandemic rules as Covid-19 cases soar