Your responsibility: The best advice on ... working from home

What can we do as individuals to combat the winter COVID-19 wave? In the fourth instalment of a special series, The Age asks experts for the best advice on working from home.

Working from home, or WFH as it is typically communicated via email or Slack, has become the new normal during the COVID-19 pandemic for people with jobs that can be done remotely.

Many of those who were logging on to their laptops at home during lockdown had returned to city workplaces in recent months, often in a hybrid mix that involved two or three days in the office.

Working from home could reduce the number of infections in Victoria.Credit: iStock

However, the latest increase in case numbers and hospitalisations in Victoria has prompted a potential reintroduction of complete working from home arrangements for some workers.

Earlier this week, Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said she wasn’t going to order people to work from home as the state government has previously, leaving it up to businesses and their workers to figure it out.

“The message to employers is to take the lessons that they learned from January. It’s incumbent upon all employees to do all that they can to keep their workers safe and well,” she said.

Professor Catherine Bennett, chair of epidemiology at Deakin University.Credit: Jason South

“But these are decisions about how they may implement some working from home arrangements, they’re decisions that need to be made by employers.”

The absence of a government mandate means the choice will fall to workplaces, rather than staff, with employment law experts saying that bosses can force people in if they choose.

So, what is the best advice?

Deakin University chair of epidemiology Professor Catherine Bennett said she would strongly encourage employers to have as many staff members work from home as possible.

As many of us now know, the idea is to reduce the density of people gathering in confined spaces, whether in the office or commuting to and from work via public transport.

While working from home would help reduce infections, Bennett said, fewer outbreaks would also allow businesses to keep operating with fewer staff away sick.

“For people who can’t work from home or it’s not possible, it helps reduce their challenges because there aren’t as many people around on the trains, for example,” she said.

Those who must attend their workplace in person should wear masks in crowded places and get tested if they are a close contact or as soon as they detect any symptoms, Bennett said.

Another suggestion is to not use small meeting rooms or other places the virus can easily spread.

“RATs [rapid antigen tests] are a bit hit-and-miss, but they’re another layer of protection,” she said.

Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity director Sharon Lewin said working from home should be a government-driven policy but “if you’re vulnerable, then you want to reduce your risk of exposure”.

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