Move follows similar steps by Amazon – a move slammed by Atlassian as 'endorsing the old way as a solution to new problems'
Australian betting giant Tabcorp is ordering its employees back onsite for five days a week effective immediately, according to reports.
The announcement officially puts an end to the organisation's hybrid work arrangement, which previously allowed staff to work from home two days a week.
"This is a really important step change – we are resetting Tabcorp. Having us together as a team, focused and driving towards our goals will deliver outcomes and success," read Tabcorp's memo to employees, as quoted by news.com.au.
"Being connected as a team also drives a winning culture and supports us to collaborate and achieve our best."
The memo came from the betting giant's executive leadership team, which told employees to discuss the full on-site arrangement with their managers, news.com.au reported.
"While these changes are effective immediately, we know that some of you may need time to adjust schedules and routines – that's fine, we just ask that you work with your manager and do this in the next four weeks," the memo said.
Flexible work still offered
It also clarified that alternative work arrangements will still be offered to employees who may need to work flexibly.
"You should discuss and agree on these requirements with your manager. Some of you may have [these] in place and in these cases, nothing changes," the memo read. "To be clear, however, your default position is to come into the office every day."
Tabcorp's announcement comes after Amazon CEO Andy Jassy also ordered employees to fully come back to workplaces starting January 2025.
"We've observed that it's easier for our teammates to learn, model, practice, and strengthen our culture; collaborating, brainstorming, and inventing are simpler and more effective; teaching and learning from one another are more seamless; and teams tend to be better connected to one another," Jassy previously said.
But Atlassian has criticized Amazon over its return-to-office mandate, accusing the tech giant of "wilfully endorsing the old way as a solution to new problems,” according to Yahoo! Finance.
Annie Dean, Atlassian's head of team anywhere, has criticised Amazon's move and said mandates "aren't the solution to the real problem".
Dean said Amazon was seeking to “operate like the world’s largest startup” and instead “should be pioneering new, more efficient modes of work, not wilfully endorsing the old way as a solution to new problems,” according to Yahoo! Finance.
