Employers point to negative impacts of working from home
The debate over working from home in Victoria continues to heat up with employers releasing a new poll of employers showing many believe WFH will have a negative impact on workplace culture.
The poll was included in the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (ACCI) submission in reponse to a Victorian Government plan to legislate working from home at least two days a week.
It comes after the release of a State Government's WFH survey that indicated workers "extremely" value the right to work from home.
A further 4,449 respondents, or 13%, said WFH was "very important" to them, according to the survey.
But the ACCI said in its submission that it is of the "very strong view" that there is no right for employees to work from home nor should one be created.
"Decisions about WFH must ultimately be made by business as only businesses have the requisite insight into operational considerations to make such a decision," said ACCI chief executive officer Andrew McKellar in a statement.
Impact of working from home
In the ACCI's poll, 82% of employers believe that regulating WFH rights will have a negative impact on workplace culture.
A further 69% believe that WFH would lead to a deterioration in customer service levels.
More than four in 10 employers also said they would look at changing their workforce mix (44%) – such as changing the ratio of full-time, part-time, casual, or contract labour – as well as consider changing the remuneration structure of employees working from home (43%).
"WFH arrangements should be subject to managerial prerogative at individual workplaces, and not a sweeping legislative imposition that adopts a 'one-size-fits-all' approach," McKellar said.
According to the CEO, the State Government's legislation is a solution looking for a problem.
"WFH is already happening and there is no reason to legislate a one-size-fits-all approach or mandate a minimum number of days by which an employee can WFH," he said.
Plan's constitutional validity
Meanwhile, the ACCI also raised a concern on the constitutional validity of the state government's plan as workplace relations law falls under the Commonwealth's Fair Work Act.
"In the case of Victoria, it legislated to refer industrial relations powers to the Commonwealth back in 1996," McKellar said.
"Even the Australian Human Rights Commission conceded that an employee's rights at work is addressed by the Commonwealth."
The ACCI's poll comes after the Victorian government released its own WFH survey, described as its largest ever, which received more than 36,000 responses.
The survey revealed that 82% of employees in Victoria have the option to work from home, while 36% are already working from home twice a week.
