As COVID-19 amplifies pressure for workers to have greater rights to "disconnect" outside of working hours, the Irish Government has asked its Workplace Relations Commission to develop a code of practice to promote the practice.
More than half of private sector clerks included in a survey to inform a possible coronavirus-driven award variation have been working from home since the middle of last year and almost three quarters of employers intend to let them continue doing so at least some of the time.
Griffith University's Professor David Peetz has warned employers to consult their workers before implementing post-COVID-19 workplace changes or risk turning "disorder into chaos", ahead of today's repeal of NSW public health orders requiring organisations to allow employees to perform their duties from home.
FWC President Iain Ross has agreed to consider IR Minister Christian Porter's request that he insert loaded rates into awards for "distressed" industries and will convene initial conferences next week.
Working from home is here to stay and will be "more effective for all" if it is supported by formal policies, hours are "relatively fixed hours" and it is voluntary, according to one of two university studies commissioned by the FWC as it considers inserting a WFH clause in the clerks award.
The NSW public sector granted more than 87% of women's requests for flexible work ahead of COVID-19, according to a large PSA member survey that says the pandemic has proved there is still room for improvement in the Berejiklian Government's "if not why not" policy.
The FWC is likely tomorrow to extend COVID-19 flexibilities in the clerical award until the end of March, after the ACTU agreed not to oppose the move, while unions and employers are continuing to negotiate on proposed "enduring" working from home provisions.
The IR system will need to change to deal with challenges arising from the COVID-19 "new normal" of working from home, according to a briefing paper by the Centre for Future Work.
The negative attitude of Australian businesses towards older workers is a major obstacle in achieving longer working lives, according to a new OECD report.
