World of HR: Some Australians are fighting for the right to work from home

It seems like every employee has a different reaction to RTO. Some straight-up ignore the calls back to the office, while others quit their jobs in favor of those at companies that still allow remote work.

In the South Pacific, one union is taking their RTO fight to court.

Australia’s largest bank, CBA, wants employees to spend at least half their time back at the office, reported the Guardian. However, the Finance Sector Union of Australia, which represents many of the bank’s employees, filed a claim to the Fair Work Commission—a tribunal that handles labor disputes—in July, stating that the decision was made without discussing with staff first and that workers “were more productive at home.”

“Some workers are so unhappy about the CBA’s edict that they are considering whether to resign and seek other more flexible working arrangements,” said Julia Angrisano, national secretary at the Finance Sector Union, in a statement reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.

For its part, CBA believes that its requirements are reasonable and said that nearly 70% of employees are already in compliance with the in-office rules, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. The company also claimed that employees still have flexible work arrangements available to them and that working in the office increases collaboration.

“Our people also spend 40% or more time connecting with their leader and peers when in the office. We have seen that innovation is an outcome of our people physically working together,” said Sian Lewis, an HR executive at CBA.

There may be some precedent for workers to have the right to work from home though, as federal workers in Australia were granted the ability to request remote work for “an unlimited number of days” in mid-July, according to Reuters.