Successful employment relationships key to remote work success
- Josephine Tan
In the spotlight of a recent dismissal case, Ben Thompson, Co-Founder of Employment Hero, underscored the critical need for trust and clear communication in facilitating overseas work. The Fair Work Commission, Australia’s workplace tribunal, rejected a data scientist’s unfair dismissal claim at the Bureau of Meteorology, revealing discrepancies in his location during remote work in the US.
Thompson urged organisations to learn from this case, emphasising the importance of transparent communication on flexible work policies. He advocated for open dialogue, asserting that trust and transparency are crucial for successful employment relationships.
Despite the dismissal, Thompson discouraged organisations from shying away from remote work options. He cited an example of Employment Hero’s model, which allows overseas work with legal authorisation and written permission, as experienced positively by employees like Madeline Maggiore and Georgia Lambert.
Contrary to the dismissed case, Thompson assured that remote work should not be discouraged, provided necessary protections are in place. He highlighted that the HR and benefits platform developler’s growth is attributed to being a remote-first organisation.
READ MORE: Take a pay cut for remote work? No thanks, say employees in Australia
The approach aligns with Atlassian’s stance, supporting a distributed workforce with a focus on how work happens rather than where. The software developer’s “Team Anywhere” plan, allowing employees to relocate for 90 days annually, reflects a broader shift in the conversation around remote work.
While these cases offer insights, Thompson acknowledged that not every organisation can fully adopt a distributed workforce. He emphasised that business leaders need to determine the best approach for their circumstances, but when executed deliberately and with clear communication, remote work can be a significant accelerant for productivity, performance, and team morale, reported SmartCompany.
