Transurban CEO Scott Charlton calls for co-ordinated approach to flexible work

Transurban boss Scott Charlton has called on public and private sector employers to develop a co-ordinated approach to flexible working.

Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton. Picture: Jane Dempster

Transurban chief executive Scott Charlton has called on public and private sector employers to come together in an unprecedented alliance to develop a co-ordinated approach to flexible working, to prevent a return to peak period road congestion in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr Charlton said flexible work as a way of addressing mobility constraints in the nation’s cities required a co-ordinated approach between public and private sectors. He said change would not happen as the result of individual company policies, nor would it be effective if every employer shifted in a similar way.

“There is an opportunity, particularly around flexible work and what employees want, to efficiently use the transport networks in our cities better. That means looking at not just the number of days people work but the times people start and stop,’’ Mr Charlton said. “Maybe some of the more traditional areas, even schools, need to look at different opening and closing times to take advantage of flexible working arrangements.”

With its annual results on Thursday, Transurban will release a fresh integration of its “Urban Mobility Trends from COVID-19” study, focusing on flexible work trends, based on research conducted in Australia.

The first was released a year ago at the pandemic’s height, while the most recent was conducted in January, involving more than 3038 respondents from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. While COVID forced the mass uptake of flexible work, responses to the latest survey indicated it is unlikely to result in a permanent and total shift away from the workplace. Most respondents (87 per cent) expected to do most of their work in the workplace, consistent with 86 per cent in the July 2020 survey. However, the motivations have shifted since July, when the top reasons were creating separation between work and home life, maintaining relationships and attending to tasks that couldn’t be done from home.

In January, 63 per cent of respondents cited either increased collaboration or relationships as key drivers for returning to the workplace, indicating the isolation of working from home was starting to affect tasks and projects requiring input from multiple stakeholders and a desire for face-to-face interaction.

For the respondents who plan to work from home more than before COVID-19, a key reason cited was avoiding commuting and peak hour traffic. About 70 per cent of respondents said they would be more willing to return to the workplace if flexible working hours were available.

Mr Charlton said the availability of flexible hours could be important in stimulating economic recovery in areas heavily affected by COVID-19 restrictions, such as inner-city businesses. While it would help manage demand on transport networks, it also could help increase diversity and female participation in the workplace.