Large enterprises in Australia to continue hybrid work

Though small businesses are loosening requirements that force employees to visit the office a set number of days each week, major business groups have hit out at calls from state and federal chief health officers for companies to encourage employees to work from home again due to rising COVID-19 case numbers, arguing such a move would threaten the economic recovery.

Some larger employers said they would not change their existing work policies. The Commonwealth Bank and National Australia Bank said they would retain existing hybrid policies that require staff to visit the office a set number of days each week. Meanwhile, tech firms Atlassian and Canva and accounting giants Deloitte, KPMG, EY, and PwC said they would maintain complete flexibility.

Some small- and medium-sized firms have indefinitely loosened return-to-work policies that had required workers be in the office for a minimum number of days.

For example, workplace strategy and design consultancy director Angela Ferguson said her 20 employees are not expected to come to the office at all. This contrasts with earlier this year when they were asked to come into the office three days a week, with Thursday as the designated all-in day.

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Similarly, communications agency founder Patrice Pandeleos last week pulled back on the 10-person company’s mandatory office attendance of one day a week to fully working from home as employees see fit, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.