Anthony Miller says WFH can create tension in teams where some people have to be in the office five days a week
Westpac CEO Anthony Miller has responded to plans by the Victorian Government to enshrine in law the right to work from home at least two days a week.
The proposed mandate, announced by Premier Jacinta Allan, would grant employees in the state’s public and private sectors the right to work from home if the job can be reasonably done remotely.
Peak business groups have pushed back against the plan calling it "overreach" and there are also questions about legal implications.
Asked about the proposal on 3AW radio in Melbourne on Monday morning, Miller said that while the law was the “prerogative” of the Victorian State Government, it created “tension” in teams where frontline staff had to be in the office five days a week.
“One thing that we do grapple with … as you start to try and regulate these things you come up against these kinds of tensions, is that my magnificent branch staff are in the office effectively five days a week,” he said.
“So if we want to create that team culture of everyone working together … you've got to work through those kinds of challenges where some people can work from home a couple of days a week but many have to be in the office five days.”
Miller said flexible work arrangements were already available at Westpac, with employees able to work three days a week in the office and two days a week at home, and he recognised this was important to staff.
“We very much support and accept that work from home is here to stay and, in fact, the policy of the bank is that we encourage people to be in the office about three days a week,” he said.
“What’s key for me is I’ve got to get outcomes, so it’s all very well to work from home but we still need to perform, we still need to deliver, we still need to deliver that service to our customers, and so that’s the challenge—making sure that working from home doesn’t compromise what we deliver.”
Miller’s comments come after business groups slammed the government’s WFH plan.
The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) described the move as "little more than pure political theatre."
“The proposal is a serious government overreach that undermines business autonomy and further jeopardises economic confidence in the state. It is blatant political opportunism at the expense of Victorian business,” Tim Piper, Ai Group’s Victorian Head, said in a statement.
The Victorian Chamber of Commerce (VCC) also raised concerns about inequality and damaging productivity.
“WFH certainly works well in some contexts, but that should be determined by the employer in consultation with the employee,” VCC Chief Executive Paul Guerra argued.
But Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has defended the move, saying in a statement: “It’s popular… It saves families money… It cuts congestion… it’s good for business.”
