Workplace Cancelling Work from Home Completely

vv285 on 22/08/2023 - 11:56

So my workplace canceled WFH benefits completely and has asked people to come to work 5 days a week at the notice of a week a month ago.

Before joining the HR touted they offer 'great' flexibility and at max we will be asked to work 3 days from the office which now they completely reneged on. Most employees joined them a year ago based on such promises and now they've completely gone back on their promise.

This sudden change of rule might also be because the company is not doing well. Their share price has well below half and they might be looking to offload people without trying to lay them off. Not only that people with genuine work-from-home requests like people whose kids are registered in NDIS etc are being rejected requests officially and are being asked to take holidays or come to the office after taking care of their arrangements and working late etc.

Some of us work in IT and we really don't need to be in the workplace since its been proven over the last 3 years all over the world and they still insist that we have to be working from the office. Some people with no excuses do work from home though which angers most employees since there is a clear double standard between someone new and old employees.

Is this fair? Can something be done about this?

Education & Work

Comments

  • smartazz104 on 24/08/2023 - 23:50
    +6

    Lot of brown noses in here.

    • Protractor on 25/08/2023 - 16:25
      -2

      Yeah. Takes real courage and commitment to stand up for you and your workmates , form the comfort of a doona.

  • SydBoy on 25/08/2023 - 07:29
    +7

    looks like so many bored cafe owners, micromanagers, emplyee & manager who can't stand their partner at home, rich office building REIT owners, bankers who give commercial loans, banks who makes money by charging everything sold by cafe through EFTOPs are on this forum to discourage and BS about WFH … in my opinion.. !

    grow-up and change business model unless you can innovate there is worst to come as you aren't going back to old days when you can charge $5 for raisin toast of 2 bread loaf (when one can buy whole bread packet for $3.5)… lol 😂

  • jaimex2 on 25/08/2023 - 07:36
    +1

    Say you can't come in because you moved interstate.

  • Davo1111 on 25/08/2023 - 08:51
    +1

    Resign

    • johnfuller on 25/08/2023 - 13:27

      do it. but can you get another job?

      • Protractor on 25/08/2023 - 14:08

        I wonder how employers being held hostage will respond on future references when the WFH leave their employ?
        I sense all new contracts will block the loopholes, once & for all.

        • Davo1111 on 25/08/2023 - 16:39

          Apart from confirming a person worked there, many companies wont offer references

      • Davo1111 on 25/08/2023 - 16:39

        Thats my point, it’s capitalism.

        if OP doesn’t leave they get away with it and it wasnt that important to OP after all

  • burns13 on 25/08/2023 - 10:56

    Keep up this crazy fight you white collar workers. Win all the conditions you can get.

  • johnfuller on 25/08/2023 - 12:26
    -1

    go back to the office and stop being an entitled twat

    • Protractor on 25/08/2023 - 14:05
      -1

      Well said. I reckon stubborn WFH crusaders are their own worst enemies. And making it hard,generally, for proper workplace security.
      Fair Work will soon have to rule on this. There could be a temp spike in union sign ups. Then union sign out.
      Because given the choice of mass sackings, companies closing down etc, the entire economy needs to be taken into account when FW consider the entitlement VS reality.

    • SydBoy on 25/08/2023 - 14:26
      +3

      go to school and learn that gives you skill and ability to work from home .. .lol 😂 and stop being jealous…. lol 😂

  • Protractor on 25/08/2023 - 14:01

    Computer says NO!

    So does Elon the prize fighter>
    (apparently)

    https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-25/us-justice-department…

  • Trying2SaveABuck on 25/08/2023 - 16:54

    if your contract doesnt say you can WFH it is essentially up to the employer - if im being honest i dont blame any employer for demanding a return to work if it isnt a contracted entiltment you would be naive to think ppl arent taking advantage of it

  • Nirmitha on 25/08/2023 - 17:58
    +3

    If possible name the company so others can also avoid. Backward and dishonest - good luck to them sourcing and retaining the best talent in the future.

    And don't listen to twats who have no clue about a function like IT - which as you said, don't require in-person attendance regularly. A lot of salty people here who think you should be mindlessly commuting 3-4 hours every day just because they need to. Those people have licked the boot for too long that it's too late to change their mindsets.

    The world has changed. Forces of demand and supply - just like your idiot management is calling everyone in - there are companies out there (e.g. CashRewards - an OZB fav) who will let you work from anywhere in the world - as long as you get your job done. Being able/unable to accurately measure that is a skill of management. Incompetent managers can't do that - so they need to be looking over your shoulder all the time.

    There's also a sneaky agenda in the background to prop up the failing real estate market for office spaces. The Property Council of Victoria (the crony of developers and building owners) for example, has been lobbying hard.

    Hope you find a great, flexible employer in the future.

  • hopper on 25/08/2023 - 19:22

    It's coming…. Need to reduce wait so I can fit on train seat

  • hopper on 25/08/2023 - 19:23

    You work for X bro?

  • MessyG on 25/08/2023 - 19:35
    +1

    Working in a city comes from the industrial revolution when people left their communities for more prosperous work that could only be done in the city, in the 1800s. That people are still advocating for this as a model tells you a lot. The world has moved on and changed since then, it has been demonstrated that many areas are more productive with a WFH model, families are happier, and people exercise more. The anxious control freak micromanagers have been fully outed by this overdue change and they're popping up on OzB too.

    You can either be a battery hen of a human in a city office cage or you can advocate to return to your community, as it was before the industrial revolution. That some are advocating for the former on here is wild.

  • plmko on 25/08/2023 - 19:55

    WFH so commercial properties can crash in value and deleverage. It will be spectacular to watch in the comming months.

    • kaleidoscope on 26/08/2023 - 01:52
      -1

      Not so fast! Like someone else mentioned, it also gives confidence to employers that if something can be done online why pay this much to locals and why not move to a mostly remote team with cheap labour costs while saving more and more from commercial rent space costs

      • star-ggg on 26/08/2023 - 09:24

        It's 2023, how much more confidence do they need to go fully remote with an overseas team? In fact, why even be an Australian company, go fully remote and list on the cheapest stock exchange you can find.

      • CowFrogHorse on 27/08/2023 - 00:34

        Do yo umean like how they have been doing with China for over 50 years ?

    • garygaz on 26/08/2023 - 15:22

      Hilarious, if it wasn’t so depressing to read

      here’s all these stats on quality of life reducing for young Australians
      acknowledge WFH has increased time with family and not impacted productivity
      that’s all well and good but these people need to harden the (profanity) up and come in 5 days a week and start buying overpriced lunches again
      oh by the way ramp up immigration even more and make the situation even worse for young people

      The people who make it to the executive level of public companies (non founders) are genuinely sociopathic

      • Protractor on 26/08/2023 - 15:30

        The really sociopathic experts hit politics . Mostly on the right side of the fence

  • SpaceNinja on 25/08/2023 - 20:50
    +2

    And by the way buying food from CBD cafes and eateries is not about supporting the little guy any more.
    They are like vultures these days trying to rip you off at the drop off hat. Shameless price jacking everywhere.
    Coffee has moved from $3.45 to $5.95
    Lunch roll with drink has gone from $12.50 to $22.00

    • CowFrogHorse on 27/08/2023 - 00:33

      Do you know how many billions the gov has spent building transport to the Sydney CBD.

      $3 on central, $1B for each new metro station, $3B on the tram… thats $7B and there are actually a few more billion for the tunnels etc. so its about $10B.

      Do you know how many jobs are in the CBD ?

      Do you think its smart to spend $10B to keep a few cafes, David Jones, Macdonalds and the apple shop open ?

      Do the maths, each job is costing tax payers multi millions.. it would be cheaper to BUY and close down every shop in the CBD and you have saved BILLIONS to the tax payer.

      • foolsgold on 27/08/2023 - 10:49

        That is a very narrow way of looking at public transport. It is the most effective way of moving a lot of people very efficiently.
        - Public transport is not just for workers, it's for visitors and residents in a city
        - High density living costs significantly less than sprawl
        - High density can't support cars to get people everywhere
        - I think half your argument is that if people WFH they won't need to go anywhere
        - Good public transport means people can move more efficiently, don't need a car, levels out the playing field for people who can not afford a car
        - Do you know how much space car accommodation takes up? Carparks, roads, etc imagine if no one owned a car
        - No public transport means more road infrastructure required, people don't just stop moving
        - Road infrastructure takes up more space than rail etc. ie. 40 cars vs 1 bus.

        The thought that were just building public transport to get fat cats from their well served public housing homes to work and back is stupid.

  • yoquierotaco on 25/08/2023 - 22:06

    I switched to a company that was full WFH. If they changed policies I would not be happy. The only thing you can do is complain and/or find another job. If the company is not doing well, might be best to find another ship before it sinks.

  • belongsinforums on 26/08/2023 - 06:57
    +4

    The anti wfh crowd in here is really surprising. I don't get it

    • garygaz on 26/08/2023 - 15:23
      +3

      It’s either old people who are retired, business owners who are seeing reduced foot traffic or someone who no longer has WFH. Everyone is speaking out of self interest

      • Protractor on 26/08/2023 - 15:31

        Kind of balances out the other side of the coin,innit?

        • garygaz on 26/08/2023 - 15:32

          Certainly does. I mean it’s just not surprising.

          • BillyStm on 26/08/2023 - 16:14
            +2

            @garygaz: Both sides can make an argument, take feelings out and look at it from both perspectives. And also dont forget other external factors that are then indirectly impacted - For example govt funding into public transport, infrastructure etc that is projected years in advance, less movement in and out of cbd areas then less demand will result in less available transit options and regularity of timetables. (Then people will complain about this aspect to lol)

            I'm all for both sides coming up with workable solutions and that comes down to an individual assessment/suitability of that arrangement, unfortunately our society then would say but thats unfair that john smith gets x and i dont get offered the same thing regardless of proven capability differences.

            This is the minefield faced for both sides, ultimately many of the WFH roles are ones that we will likely see impacted by offshore contracting, AI improvements taking over them etc. Personally I'm in a field that is operational in nature and not desk bound so this has no direct impact on me but its very interesting to read the fully propelled arguments from each side without taking in the full context in both the short term and long term in full

      • belongsinforums on 26/08/2023 - 16:22
        +1

        What? Old people who have retired have no stake in this, neither do people who can't work from home due to the nature of their job.

        It's a bit like men telling women that they can't abort because the men don't like it

    • witheredcouch on 31/08/2023 - 14:55

      Yeah being anti wfh full stop makes no sense to me. I don't personally like wfh, and would much rather go into the office, but I know a lot of people prefer it, and as long as it works for them, and they are productive, I think they should be able to.

  • TChalla on 26/08/2023 - 19:45
    -3

    Get over it and get back to the office.

    • SydBoy on 26/08/2023 - 20:02

      get over it and let employer to have employee working efficiently at home .. .lol 😂 without a need to travel in germ infected train/tram/buses for 2 to 3 hr per day… unpaid… !!!

    • CowFrogHorse on 27/08/2023 - 00:29
      +2

      Get over it… why not commute to Brisbane one day and then to Melbourne and mix it up.

      Just think of the local businesses you will be helping.

  • aa on 26/08/2023 - 20:43

    whilst working from home is great (i do it too, but i'm the boss), you need to realise your job becomes global, once your company realises this they no longer need to hire local, they can hire anyone, anywhere in the world, and you will be competing with people on a lot lower standard of living than in Australia.

    • SpaceNinja on 26/08/2023 - 21:24
      +5

      No that's not true, and is a typical scare tactic used by lousy managers against WFH
      You are choosing to ignore:
      1) Cultural differences
      2) Local knowledge
      3) Time-zones
      4) Skillset & expertise
      5) Offshoring complications
      6) Data security needs
      7) Ability to go onsite (once a while)

      • star-ggg on 26/08/2023 - 23:13
        +3

        People on make it sound like remote work is only a post-pandemic thing. It's been doeable for 20 years now and plenty of companies have tried offshoring jobs and bought them back on-shore for the very reasons you listed.

        The money you save offshoring is eventually paid back with interest by having to spend time and effort starting another onshore team to manage the offshore one.

      • SydBoy on 27/08/2023 - 07:48
        +3

        absolutely correct point and it is nothing but scare tactics …!!!

    • CowFrogHorse on 27/08/2023 - 00:29

      Companies have been sending jobs to China for over 30 years….way before WFH was a norm of some sort.

  • CowFrogHorse on 27/08/2023 - 00:28

    Most people dont realise that commuting is sending Australia broke.

    Take the NW metro - thats a minimum of $8B. The official website says they have 20m pax a year. That means every single trip costs the tax payer $400 dollars.

    If Sydney builds a few more metros Australia will be broke. Each metro stations which cost hundreds of millions each is worth more than all the people in that suburb. $500M for a suburb of 10k… do the maths thats a cost of $50k PER PERSON in that suburb and half of those people dont even pay tax. Each trip is costing tax payers hundreds of dollars.

    500 000 000 /
    10 000 =
    500 00

    Yeh Sydney needs more metros, where the metro is worth more than half the homes in the suburb.

    • SydBoy on 27/08/2023 - 07:46

      well, metro is political project not necessary a transport project in my opinion it is purely driven by liberal who started it with a aim to privatise Sydney train over a decade or two by building parallel network of privately operated trains and shutdown one of the biggest union that is run by transport sector supporting labor… !

      original idea was to build and extend existing train network but liberal realise by doing that they will simply give power back to labor so they decided start building and wasting tax payer money to build their own dream agenda project and they succeeded ..> ! if labor are true politician like Andrew in VIC then just shutdown Metro west, sell all land to developer and grant them approval to build high rise buildings so metro can't return to same alignment again.. lol 😂

      remember most high level bureaucrat are consultant making huge $$$$ from this metro type project so they all indirectly work for or with liberals … so labor has big challenge first to find smart politician in transport sector and second to get rid of liberal spies… !! 😂

      back to your topic…. worst then Sydney is Melbourne's new project to have outer ring rail project .. that is the funny and biggest waste of tax payer money project .. IMO.

  • duluxe2000 on 27/08/2023 - 09:21
    +2

    Every business is different. Wfh works for you n your business but it does not mean it works for another business. So the business itself needs to decide how to best run its business. OP's company is not doing well and OP's immediate reaction is to challenge it like a "right". So there is a feeling of entitlement here n some people don't like it.

    Personally I feel that wfh is not going to be permanent trends for majority of people. Because there are not any political/economic interests behind this trend other than some anecdotal evidences claiming "I'm more productive". I'm not saying it's not true but why there are not any researches or papers Abt it? Because no cooperations pay for it. It's not their interests.

  • fatty99 on 01/09/2023 - 16:56

    Companies will soon figure out they can offshore a lot of the WFH jobs imo

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