New data shows staff will walk unless WFH option stays

Staff will walk from their jobs if the working from home (WFH) option — implemented during the national lockdowns — is not maintained, according to the CEO of a management consultancy group.

New data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that the total jobs for the June quarter in Australia increased by 2.5 per cent to 15.5 million. The total number of jobs increased by 382,300, including an increase of 60,300 vacancies.

ASPL Group CEO, Kris Grant, said employers who don't offer flexible work conditions could lose their staff to others who show more attractive conditions.

“Employers need to ensure that they work harder to retain employees given such a tight labour market,” Ms Grant said.

“Yet, we have seen in recent weeks some employers force staff back to the office, disallowing work from home entirely. This could be an expensive mistake.

“The traditional leadership style of hierarchical management won't work in a modern workplace; employers who dictate working conditions to their staff rather than maintain the flexibility that the pandemic has forced them to adopt will struggle to keep their staff, especially professionals who can probably get a get paying job elsewhere.”

Speaking to ifa following the release of the data, Brett Schatto, chief executive of local firm Pride Advice, admitted that WFH wasn't even considered pre-COVID. However, it is now “not really a problem”.

“It took a little getting used to, but we were structurally ready,” Mr Schatto said.

“WFH is not a lot different from having more than one office, or having staff based overseas. The important thing is to trust your team to know their role and execute it well. A healthy team culture also helps.

“We have a great culture built on social events, planning days, end-of-year shows and celebrating birthdays. The fact [that] some choose to work from home because a plumber is coming that day does not impede the quality or timeframes of the work being done.”

To ensure this is done correctly, Mr Schatto encouraged businesses to put structures in place such as cloud-based solutions and VoIP phone systems.

He said that the use of technology virtually makes WFH a non-issue.

However, Mr Schatto noted that there are some areas where WFH is not advantageous such as employees wanting to WFH “for the wrong reasons”.

“Onboarding new staff into an existing culture is impossible without human interaction,” he explained.

“Flexibility is key in the modern era, on both sides of the employment agreement.”

Neil Griffiths

Neil is the Deputy Editor of the wealth titles, including ifa and InvestorDaily.

Neil is also the host of the ifa show podcast.