An Australian workplace vibe shift is on its way, and it smells a lot like home-cooked meals and sweatpants. The Fair Work Commission (FWC) is gearing up to potentially grant employees a legal right to work from home.
This could mean that your cosy home office setup — complete with a cat on your keyboard — might soon be more than just a personal preference, it could be a legal entitlement.
What’s being proposed?
The FWC is currently reviewing modern awards to potentially include explicit rights for employees to request work-from-home arrangements. An award covers the conditions of your employment, and there are different types of awards according to what category your job falls under.
This proposal is looking to make changes to the Clerks award, which Fair Work says includes administrative assistants, receptionists, and bookkeepers — basically any admin staff.
Right now, under the Clerks Award, workers can request to work from home, but they have to explain why they should be allowed to do it. This right is only available to those who have been with their employer for at least 12 months and fall into specific categories — think people who are pregnant, parents, carers, people with disabilities, those over 55, or anyone experiencing domestic violence.
If the FWC’s proposal is approved, it could flip the script and force employers to justify why they need workers in the office. Imagine your boss having to explain why you can’t just do your job in your pyjamas — this is what corporate dreams are made of.
How could this impact workers?
Everybody seems to be going back to the office whether we like or not. Two in five Aussie employees are now expected to head into the office five days a week according to research from Robert Half
86 per cent of Aussie companies require staff to come into the office at least once a week, with five days being the most common arrangement. Long gone are the days of meetings in your PJs.
This proposal could disrupt a lot of those organisations that have been pushing for a full-time return to the office.
If the FWC sets a precedent for work-from-home rights, it could empower unions to advocate for similar rights across all office workers. This means that employees could have a stronger legal basis to negotiate flexible arrangements, potentially changing the landscape of workplace policies in Australia.
When will the new WFH rules come into action?
As for when we can expect this to kick in, the first hearing is set for September 13. The FWC is currently sifting through submissions and consulting with various stakeholders, which means it could be a while before we see any concrete changes.
If the proposal gets the green light, we could be looking at a shift in workplace dynamics sooner rather than later. Fair Work said working from home was “an important issue relevant to balancing work and care and job security” and they’ll be giving the proposal “priority consideration.”
In the meantime, employees across Australia are keeping their fingers crossed and their comfy home office setups ready. Whether you’re a fan of the office coffee machine or prefer the comfort of your couch, the potential for a legal right to work from home could reshape the Australian workplace for good.
So, keep your eyes peeled — your right to work from home might just be a Zoom call away!
Lead image: iStock
The post You Could Soon Get A Legal Right To Work From Home Under New Rules From The Fair Work Commission appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
