Natasha is a leading HR expert, entrepreneur, author and sought-after media commentator for outlets such as Sunrise (Channel 7), ABC Radio and The Australian Financial Review. Natasha co-founded Employee Matters in 2011 to help Australian businesses achieve success through their people.
Victoria’s proposed work-from-home changes are putting workplace flexibility back in the spotlight, with employers and employees considering what the changes could mean for the future of work.
Employee Matters Managing Director Natasha Hawker recently joined Channel 7’s Sunrise to discuss Victoria’s Work-From-Home Bill, flexible working arrangements and the practical considerations for Victorian businesses. What could Victoria’s proposed work-from-home changes mean for employers, employees and workplace flexibility? Watch Natasha’s full Sunrise interview below for her HR perspective on the conversation.
What Does Victoria’s Work-From-Home Bill Mean for Employers?
The conversation around working from home continues to evolve as businesses consider how much flexibility they can offer while still meeting the needs of their people and their organisation.
Not every job can be performed from home. Nurses, police, hospitality workers, tradies and many other employees need to be physically present to perform their roles.
However, for roles where working from home is practical, flexible working arrangements can be an important part of attracting and retaining talent.
For many employees, the ability to work from home or have a hybrid working arrangement is now an important consideration when looking for their next role. Employers therefore need to think carefully about how their approach to workplace flexibility affects their employee experience and ability to attract talent.
Workplace Flexibility and the Future of Work
The discussion around Victoria’s proposed work-from-home changes is ultimately part of a much bigger conversation about the future of work in Australia.
For employers, the focus should be on finding a practical approach to flexible working that supports their business, their customers and their people.
This may look different from one organisation to another. The right approach will depend on the type of work, the needs of employees, team collaboration, productivity and the overall workplace culture.
As the conversation around Victoria’s Work-From-Home Bill continues, employers should consider whether their current flexible working arrangements are helping them attract, engage and retain the people they need.
Watch Natasha Hawker’s full Sunrise interview above for her HR perspective on Victoria’s proposed work-from-home changes and what they could mean for Victorian workplaces
Need Support Navigating Workplace Change?
Workplace requirements and employee expectations are constantly changing. For employers, keeping up with these changes while managing people, performance and business priorities can be challenging.
At Employee Matters, we provide practical HR support to help businesses understand what workplace changes mean for their people and processes, and put the right HR strategies in place.
News Anchor: Only six weeks into the job, Victorian Premier Ben Carroll is already facing a High Court challenge over his contentious work-from-home laws. The bill will give employees the right to work from home two days a week if they reasonably can, but legal advisors say it's unconstitutional, creating a potentially unfair two-tier system for workers. The Premier made a number of amendments to the bill overnight but refuses to scrap it despite growing calls. For more, we're joined by Natasha Hawker, HR Specialist and Managing Director of Employee Matters. Good morning to you. Should it be scrapped, do you think?
Natasha Hawker: I don't know whether it should be scrapped, but I think we do need to make sure that we've worked out the legal ambiguity at the moment. The issue that we've got is that there are some lawyers that believe that this legislation that they're trying to push through now is in conflict with the federal Fair Work Act. There are other lawyers that believe that act actually has some flexibility around benefits. That is where the issue is. However, I'm not a lawyer, so I'm going to leave that to the courts and the legal system. However, what I would say is this is causing enormous ambiguity, and people are unsure of what that means. And as a business owner, when you're trying to get a business up and running—and let's face it, in Melbourne, they've had a lot of challenges—this ambiguity is a problem.
News Anchor: In your opinion, the idea of a two-tier system, where it's potentially unfair for nurses, police, hospitality workers because they can't work from home?
Natasha Hawker: You're absolutely right. And there are certain roles like the police and tradies and nurses that cannot work from home. But I don't believe that necessarily means we should throw it out. There are certain roles that can be done from home very, very well. And it's important to offer that flexibility, and I can guarantee you those organizations that do attract the best talent. Those people that come to us for a job, often their first question is, "Can I work from home?" and they will not even put an application in if they can't.
News Anchor: Just looking at business leaders are warning that the laws could push jobs and investment out of the state potentially, and even worse, overseas. What's your take on that?
Natasha Hawker: I don't think we're seeing that yet, and I don't think that will necessarily be the case. Again, I think that transition to push that overseas takes time, and to get back to the same levels of performance that you might necessarily get in Australia would be an issue.
News Anchor: Okay, thanks for coming in. Appreciate it.
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Australian Employee Relations Legislation Resource Hub
There is a significant amount of mandatory Employment Relations legislative change that impacts you and every other business in Australia now. Our resource hub is designed to help you understand these wide-ranging changes.
