Coles orders head office staff to come onsite once a week: reports

Coles employees in its Melbourne head office have been ordered to return to the workplace once a week starting next week, according to reports.

The order was issued by chief executive Leah Weckert in a memo that was posted on social media on Wednesday, news.com.au reported.

Weckert told employees that all head office staff will need to come to the office one day per week, which will eventually rise to three days a week in the next six months.

According to the report, the chief executive ordered employees that one of those three-day onsite days should be a Monday or Friday.

Implementing onsite days

The announcement adds Coles to the list of employers withdrawing their work-from-home policies that became extremely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike other organisations' full office returns, however, Weckert said "each team will transition to our new ways of working at a pace that suits them, allowing time to plan and adjust."

"I encourage you to consider any arrangement you may need to make to facilitate our new ways of working," she told employees.

Prior to the announcement, Coles' liquor division had already begun implementing an office-return scheme in the past months, with the three-day onsite rule to take effect there starting January 6, according to news.com.au.

A spokesperson from Coles said the changes show how the company will foster collaboration while supporting employees.

"This change is about how we continue to foster a collaborative work environment and support the development of our people to deliver for our customers," the spokesperson told news.com.au.

A growing number of employers have begun mandating office returns to their workforce in the past months, including Amazon, Tabcorp, Dell, and the New South Wales government.