How are Australian employers getting employees back on-site?

In the face of strong resistance, employers across Australia are pulling out all the stops to bring employees back to workplaces as some believe remote work should be an earned privilege.

A new report from law firm Herbert Smith Freehills revealed that employers in Australia are taking on "both soft and hard tactics" to bring employees back to workplaces.

"In Australia, we're seeing a range of approaches for getting people back in the office. Some employers are still doing soft encouragement – such as team lunches on Wednesdays, team drinks, or extracurricular activities on certain days," said Natalie Gaspar, a partner with Herbert Smith Freehills, in the report.

"Some are using more of a direct approach – you must be in the office on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, for example."

Only a "handful" of organisations are mandating a full return to workplaces, according to Gaspar.

Most employers continue to support flexible working, with solid majorities saying they have redefined core hours to accommodate remote work (63%) and have plans to evaluate employees based on productivity rather than hours worked (68%), finds the Herbert Smith Freehills report.

That could be because half (49%) say hybrid work has improved access to far-flung talent, and 68% say it has boosted applicant diversity. 

Furthermore, 53% of employers say forcing more in-office working would result in more activism or higher staff turnover, says the report Future of Work 2023: Remote and flexible working.

However, employers are also using more formal incentivisation. Nearly half (47%) expect working remotely will become a privilege earned through trust and seniority and nearly as many (45%) have plans to differentiate pay between remote and in-office staff in the next three-to-five years. 

Earned privilege

The findings come as 38% of Australian employers believe that remote work should be a privilege that can be earned through trust and seniority.

In fact, another 13% said remote workers should have their pay and benefits cut if they continue with the arrangement, the Daily Mail reported.

The result echoes a recent finding from Robert Half which revealed 23% of Australian employers are offering lower salaries to flexible workers than traditional in-office staff. 

It comes amid strong resistance from employees to return to workplaces after enjoying years of remote work due to the pandemic.

As a result, employers across the world are growing more aggressive in bringing staff back to workplaces. Organisations, such as Google, Amazon, and Meta, are starting to incorporate office attendance to their hybrid work policies.

A recent global report also found that 87% of employers are considering linking rewards, raises, or promotions with office attendance.