[Australia] Uncertain future for working from home under employer push for pay cuts

A new industry survey in Australia has revealed that some bosses intend to pay employees who work from home “differently” from those who attend the office, 7news reports.

Herbert Smith Freehills’ “Future of Work” global survey, released earlier this month, suggests that 45 per cent of employers have made plans to differentiate pay between office-based and remote staff over the course of the next three to five years.

“Office attendance is becoming increasingly important to many employers,” Nick Wright - Herbert Smith Freehills partner - said.

“With some mandating a full-time return to the office and others making bonuses conditional upon levels of attendance.”

Some businesses in Australia are reportedly offering incentives to encourage workers to return to the office such as team lunches, drinks and extracurricular activities.

“In Australia, we’re seeing a range of approaches for getting people back in the office. Some employers are still doing soft encouragement,” law partner Natalie Gaspar told 7news.

“Some are using more of a direct approach - you must be in the office on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, for example.

“There’s only a handful of organisations mandating a full return to the workplace, and that’s being met with a significant amount of resistance.”

Thirty-eight per cent of Australian employers reportedly believe that remote working will become an earned privilege, while 47 per cent expect working remotely to become a privilege earned through trust.

Around 88 per cent of respondents report a workforce that is currently at least partly hybrid.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) recently called out former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett after his July suggestion that staff working from home should have their pay docked.

Mr Kennett was quoted at the time saying, “There will be people making a decision (to work from home) because they don’t have to go through the trauma of driving to and from work, or (taking) the train or something – they save money and it saves them all that stress.”

In a statement, ACTU said that whether “workers are at their office desk or home desk” they should have the same rights and entitlements.

The Future of Work survey also highlights the potential legal risks of differentiating pay in such a way, reportedly suggesting that many workers “choose to work remotely due to caregiving responsibilities or disability”.

Source: 7news

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

A new industry survey in Australia has revealed that some bosses intend to pay employees who work from home “differently” from those who attend the office, 7news reports.

Herbert Smith Freehills’ “Future of Work” global survey, released earlier this month, suggests that 45 per cent of employers have made plans to differentiate pay between office-based and remote staff over the course of the next three to five years.

“Office attendance is becoming increasingly important to many employers,” Nick Wright - Herbert Smith Freehills partner - said.

“With some mandating a full-time return to the office and others making bonuses conditional upon levels of attendance.”

Some businesses in Australia are reportedly offering incentives to encourage workers to return to the office such as team lunches, drinks and extracurricular activities.

“In Australia, we’re seeing a range of approaches for getting people back in the office. Some employers are still doing soft encouragement,” law partner Natalie Gaspar told 7news.

“Some are using more of a direct approach - you must be in the office on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, for example.

“There’s only a handful of organisations mandating a full return to the workplace, and that’s being met with a significant amount of resistance.”

Thirty-eight per cent of Australian employers reportedly believe that remote working will become an earned privilege, while 47 per cent expect working remotely to become a privilege earned through trust.

Around 88 per cent of respondents report a workforce that is currently at least partly hybrid.

The Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) recently called out former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett after his July suggestion that staff working from home should have their pay docked.

Mr Kennett was quoted at the time saying, “There will be people making a decision (to work from home) because they don’t have to go through the trauma of driving to and from work, or (taking) the train or something – they save money and it saves them all that stress.”

In a statement, ACTU said that whether “workers are at their office desk or home desk” they should have the same rights and entitlements.

The Future of Work survey also highlights the potential legal risks of differentiating pay in such a way, reportedly suggesting that many workers “choose to work remotely due to caregiving responsibilities or disability”.

Source: 7news

(Link and quotes via original reporting)