News
Australians with disability working in the public sector can breathe a sigh of relief as the Liberal party has announced its decision to recant on its widely unpopular stance on working from home.
Leader of the Coalition, Peter Dutton says the policy was only targeting public service workers in Canberra, but admits it was a mistake.
“We got it wrong and we have apologised for it.”
El Gibbs, CEO of Disability Advocacy Network Australia, has worked remotely on and off for 25 years due to her disability.
I worked from home in the days where people had to courier me things on very big old fat discs for my computer. And I used to have to courier it back to the office,”
El Gibbs
The disability advocate believes the benefits of having a genuinely flexible and inclusive workplace is really important.
“ We should be leaning into what we learned during the pandemic about inclusion, how we can make our workplaces successful…that we aren't dependent on micromanaging people by having to see them do their job,” Ms Gibbs says.
Flexibility can provide multiple benefits to the workplace including lower absenteeism, greater job satisfaction, and the increased ability to attract and retain skilled staff, according to the Fair Work Ombudsman.
A survey conducted by the University of New South Wales found almost half of employees with disability would like to work from home two or three days a week, while around 4 in 10 employees want to work from home for four or five days a week.
Respondents to the survey said working from home reduced fatigue and pain, allowing them to manage their conditions better and perform better. Almost two-thirds of disabled employees believed they are more productive when working from home than at an office or external workplace.
Ms Gibbs says pushing to end working from home arrangements is futile.
It's time that everyone catches up…and we stop having arguments about going back to the office
El Gibbs
Back on the campaign trail, shadow finance minister for the Coalition, Jane Hume, has backed up Peter Dutton’s apology, stating there will be no changes to flexible working arrangements.
"We have listened, and understand that flexible work, including work from home, is part of getting the best out of any workforce," she says.