As Australian workers reap the benefits of hybrid working arrangements, some of the country’s most influential employers have warned their days may be numbered.
The Australian Financial Review’s Chanticleer CEO survey found that while there was broad acceptance of workers working from home, many CEOs remain unconvinced four years into the Covid-19 pandemic.
Outgoing ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott summarized the general sentiment of his fellow leaders towards hybrid working arrangements in 2024.
“Not everyone is going to be happy all the time,” Mr. Elliott told the AFR.
The survey revealed that chief executives of some of Australia’s largest companies, including NAB’s Andrew Irvine, Bendigo Bank’s Richard Fennell, Qantas’ Vanessa Hudson and Westpac’s Anthony Miller, are keen to get workers back to their desks.
Tony Lombardo, chief executive of Lendlease Global, said he expected his senior executives to work in the office at least four days a week.
“In the office, our people are there three to five days a week, and I encourage our leaders to be there four to five days,” Mr. Lombardo said.
“When people choose not to work from the workplace, they miss out on building their networks and the professional development that comes from interacting with others in person.”
ANZ chief executive Shayne Elliott (pictured) said not everyone might be happy with hybrid working arrangements, with some of Australia’s top bosses sharing his views.
A leading recruitment expert believes Australian businesses are ending working from home as a deliberate tactic to reduce staff without the cost of redundancies.
Chanticleer’s CEO survey revealed that 21 of the 56 CEOs surveyed, including Nine Entertainment, Seven Group and BHP, said the operational capacity of staff who cannot work remotely should be considered.
It comes as a top recruitment expert claims Australian bosses are ending working from home as a deliberate tactic to reduce staff.
Tammie Christofis Ballis has suggested that may be the real reason why New South Wales Premier Chris Minns issued a dramatic directive ordering the state’s public service, Australia’s largest employer, to return to the office in August.
Ballis, a career coach and recruiter specializing in Realistic Careers, said large corporations have been using the post-Covid tactic to reduce headcount without having to resort to redundancies and the payments that accompany them.
He warned chief executives that if they required staff to return full-time they would lose their best workers, who would seek more flexible arrangements elsewhere.
“Pushing people back into the office is not a one-size-fits-all situation,” he said.
‘Is the government so good that you want to stay there and go back to the office five days a week? I don’t think so.’
“Although the salaries are not as much as those in the private sector, the conditions that people are looking for are.”
Recruitment expert Tammie Christofis Ballis (pictured) says Australian businesses have turned to WFH mandates to reduce staff numbers without making costly redundancies.
A NSW government spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia that the job cuts theory claims were “completely incorrect”.
“The New South Wales Government is committed to the continued delivery of world-class services to communities,” the spokesperson said.